Helping Hand
by Redbayly
Summary: A new character joins the Gaang on their journey. And she decides to make a few changes to how the story ends. *HIATUS
1. Prologue

Helping Hand

**Okay, this story is going to be what would happen if my own OC was in the Avatar series. Everything is changed according to how I want it to be. My character is based on myself, and the story will be changed to explain her existence.* I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, or its characters. I hope you like it. Oh and just to clarify, my character is going to be 16, but I am in fact 18.**

Prologue

To say that Liu-rong of the Na family was a normal person would be completely false, she was anything but normal. The 6-foot tall, freckle-faced 16-year-old hadn't been home in five long years, indeed people wondered if she was ever coming back. She would often write home, reassuring her family that she was okay, that the Fire Nation hadn't captured her, and that her studies were going well. The ginger-haired girl had left her home to pursue knowledge of all sorts, and to learn different fighting styles. But more than that, she needed time to get away, to meditate on all that had happened that fateful day. The day her father was taken from her. Ever since that experience, Liu-rong of the Na family had become more attuned to the spiritual side of life, having strange dreams that soon became full-fledged trips to the Spirit World. At 16-years-old, she had already learned things that no one else could, developed fighting styles based on the Bending forms she had seen, all with the help of her Spirit Guide. When Liu had first learned of her supernatural powers she had been frightened, all alone in a cave that she and her cousin had been exploring; and never imagining that the man who killed her father would become her most trusted friend. Now as she sat, looking out the window of her temporary home on Kyoshi Island, she felt as if someone or something was coming for her. It was an unusual feeling to say the least, and Liu was actually very disturbed by it, something that hadn't happened since her first few visits to the Spirit World. It wasn't a bad feeling, it was more a sense of change. And as Liu had learned lately, a little change can do a person good.

**There it is, the beginning of my new story Helping Hand. I hope you liked it. You'll never guess who Liu's cousin is, but you won't find out for a while. This chapter is obviously set pre-Kyoshi Island episode. And I'm sure you all can guess who she's waiting for.**


	2. A Strange New Friend

Helping Hand

**Yep I'm back already, and I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

A Strange New Friend

Liu was making her way down to the village to get back to her practice with the other warriors when something caught her attention. Suki and the other warriors were heading into the town square with three young people in tow. Curious as ever, the freckle-faced girl made her way over to her friend and instructor.

"Hey Suki!"

"Liu, I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Sorry, I overslept."

"Trouble sleeping again?"

"Yeah. But anyway. What's with the kids?"

"We caught them snooping around the island. They might be Fire Nation spies."

Liu looked over at the three captives.

"Well, that's the first spy _I've_ seen that wears Air Nomad clothes."

"We can't be too careful. Come on, we're going to interrogate them."

Liu followed Suki, but let her friend get ahead of her. Liu slowed her pace and concentrated. She needed a word with a man who no one could see but her.

_"You called?"_

"Yes my friend." she whispered. "Are these the one's I've been expecting?"

The glowing figure of her Spirit Guide looked at the three unfamiliar young people.

_"Yes, I believe it is. Those Airbender tattoos are a dead giveaway."_

"Thanks. I'll see you for tea later, 'kay?"

With that, the Spirit disappeared.

* * *

Liu watched and listened as the three strangers were tied to the statue of Avatar Kyoshi and subsequently threatened.

"Show yourselves, Cowards!" the older boy declared. However, once his blindfold was removed, he was clearly confused. "Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?"

"There were no men. _We_ ambushed you. Now tell us who you are and why you've come here." replied Suki. Liu sighed, this boy was clearly going to get himself in trouble, he seemed to be the type for that.

"Wait a second, there's no way a bunch of girls took us down."

Before Suki could respond with another threat, Liu beat her to the punch.

"I wouldn't talk to Suki like that if I were you. When she says she'll throw you back into the water with the Unagi, she isn't joking."

The girl who was tied up next to the boy then said,

"No, don't hurt him. He didn't mean it! My brother's just an idiot sometimes."

"I'll bet he is." Liu responded.

"Hey!" the boy declared.

"It's my fault." the younger boy said. "I'm sorry we came here. I wanted to ride the Elephant Koi."

Liu turned to Suki.

"Come on Suki, you gotta admit that's a pretty good reason."

Suki just scoffed in response.

The village leader, Oyaji, then spoke.

"How do we know you're not Fire Nation spies? Kyoshi's managed to stay out of the war so far, and we intend to keep it that way."

At the mention of the name Kyoshi, the younger boy instantly brightened.

"This island is named for Kyoshi? I know Kyoshi."

Before anyone else could point out the obvious, Liu asked:

"I don't see how that's possible. Unless you are the Avatar."

"That's because, I _am_ the Avatar."

Suki, however, was buying it.

"That's impossible. The last Avatar was an Airbender, who disappeared a hundred years ago."

"That's me." the boy replied.

Oyaji wasn't convinced, and ordered the warriors to throw the three to the Unagi. Liu decided to step forward.

"Are you guys serious?" She asked the warriors. "Can't you see the Airbender tattoos? At least give the kid a chance to prove himself."

The warriors backed down. Liu untied the boy and asked him to give them a demonstration of his Airbending. The boy complied by launching himself up into the air, only to land gracefully on the ground once more, much to the amazement of the people of Kyoshi. The boy then proceeded to make a bunch of marbles levitate in midair, which caused the village's 'foaming-at-the-mouth-guy' to get worked up.

Liu then turned to the Avatar.

"I knew you would come. Avatar, if you and your friends would permit me, I would be honored to offer you accommodations at my residence."

Seeing as how this girl had vouched for them, the Avatar readily consented.

* * *

Once they arrived at Liu's house, she asked the maids to bring some refreshment for her guests, and to get their rooms ready.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Liu-rong of the Na family. But you can call me Liu, if you wish."

"I'm Aang. And this is Katara and Sokka."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Your home is so beautiful." Katara said, noticing the elegant furnishings.

"Well, it's not my home _exactly_. I took it up as a place to stay when I came to Kyoshi to receive my warrior training."

"A girl...training as a warrior? That's a laugh." said Sokka.

Liu turned to Katara.

"Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much."

"I'm so sorry for you."

As they all sat down for tea, Aang remembered what Liu had said to him earlier.

"How did you know that I was coming?"

"Ever since I came to Kyoshi, one year ago, something has been compelling me to stay. Telling me that if I waited, then I would meet someone very important who I would help and who could help me as well."

"_Right_." said an unconvinced Sokka.

Just then, two large fuzzy creatures came bounding into the room, jumping onto Sokka and licking his face.

"Ah...stop it!..D'ah!"

Liu smirked.

"It's okay, they're just my Kanga-dogs. The black one is Boomer, and the gold one is Gio. Down boys!"

The two creatures obeyed her command, and suddenly reverted into smaller forms.

"How did they just do that?" asked Sokka.

"Kanga-dogs are trained to change their sizes, depending on the will of their masters. They are very fast in their full forms, which makes them great for land travel. But for more accommodating purposes they revert to smaller forms."

The two Kanga-dogs really were adorable in their small forms. Katara said how they sort of looked like Polar Bear-dog puppies.

"So, I take it you two are from the Southern Water Tribe?" Liu asked the blue-clad siblings.

"Why yes. Is it that obvious?" Katara responded.

"Well, let's say I know a little about the Southern Tribe. My mom grew up there."

Everyone was shocked.

"That would explain why you have blue eyes." Sokka pointed out.

"Yeah, and the fact that my mom is a Waterbender."

Katara gasped. "I thought that all the other Southern Waterbenders were gone?"

"I said she grew up in the Southern Tribe. Her parents were from the North. She never really learned much about Waterbending before the raids started in the South Pole." Liu replied, looking forlorn.

"Are you a Waterbender?" asked Aang.

"No," she replied, shaking her head, "but I am a Bender."

Noticing that her tea was too hot, Liu Airbended a little miniature puff of wind to cool it.

Upon seeing this, the others all looked at her in amazement.

"Y-you're a...a..an.."Aang tried to say.

"An Airbender? Yes, I suppose I am." Liu finished.

"_That's_ how you knew we were telling the truth? You saw my Airbending tattoos and...Are there other Airbenders? What level of mastery are you at? How did you survive?" Aang could hardly contain himself.

"One question at a time if you please. Yes, your tattoos were a clear indication of that you were not a Fire Nation spy. The only other Airbender that I know of is my grandmother, she helped me advance to the 18th level of Airbending before I left home. As to how my grandmother and I have survived being taken by the Fire Nation, it's because we became integrated into Earth Kingdom society. Other Airbenders may have done the same thing, I don't know for sure."

"Well Liu, if you want, you can join up with us and I can teach you the rest of what you need to master Airbending."

"That's great Aang. But I'm not getting the tattoos."

* * *

"Wow, desert for breakfast? These people sure know how to treat an Avatar." Aang declared as he stuffed his mouth with pastries. Liu, before she left to attend training practice with the Kyoshi warriors, had left instructions to the housekeepers to set out an extravagant breakfast for her guests; she also made sure to mention that no meat was to be served as she knew that Air Nomads are vegetarians.

* * *

Training was difficult that day, as the sound of mini fan-girls was heard. It was no secret who those little girls were so excited about, but the constant noise was making it hard to focus on the forms the warriors were practicing that day.

During the break, Liu asked Suki for a word in private.

"What do you want to talk about Liu?"

"Suki, I'm afraid my time on Kyoshi will be coming to an end soon."

"Why do you say that?"

"You remember what I told you? About me being an Airbender? Well, the Avatar has invited me to travel with him so that I can finish my Airbending training."

Suki smiled at her pupil and friend.

"I understand. So if this is our last practice together, or close to it, let's make it a good one."

"Agreed."

The two women rejoined the others and resumed their training session, only to be interrupted a few minutes later by a very cocky Water Tribe boy.

After Sokka had been thoroughly humiliated by Suki, he returned and apologized for his behavior.

"We usually don't teach outsiders. Let alone boys." Suki said.

"Please make an exception." Sokka asked.

Liu saw how sincere the boy was, and knew she had to respond.

"Come on Suki, you made an exception for _me_, even though I'm an outsider. At least show him some of the basics."

"Very well." Suki then turned to Sokka. "But you have to follow all our traditions."

"Of course."

"And I mean, _all_ of them."

* * *

Liu realized that she should probably be packing for the trip ahead, not to mention the fact that she would have laughed herself to death at the sight of Sokka in that dress and makeup. She took her leave from the training hall. Back at the house, she overheard a slight disagreement between Aang and Katara. Aang was going to go show off for his fan-girls by riding the Unagi, and Katara was acting like she didn't care, choosing to focus on practicing her Waterbending instead, although she was clearly angry. After Aang left, Liu came in to talk to Katara.

"You do realize he's putting his life at risk, right?"

"Yep."

"And you're not going to stop him?"

"Nope."

Liu looked at Katara with a knowing grin, that girl would _never_ let her friend hurt himself.

"Katara, how about I finish up with the packing and you go and stop that bald-headed idiot before he gets himself killed?"

Katara leapt up, and bolted for the door.

"I'll take that as a yes."

Liu had her maidservants pack up her money, some supplies, clothes, and her weapons. After Liu had changed into her simple green tunic, with yellow trim, and her black pants and belt, she loaded up the gear into Appa's saddle.

"Take care of the place in my absence." she instructed. The ladies bowed in response. Liu smiled. "I trust you, and thank you for all that you have done." With that, she tossed them each a satchel of gold coins, much to their delight.

Liu had just finished getting Boomer and Gio loaded into the bison's saddle when she noticed that there was some trouble going on in the village. The Fire Nation was attacking. Liu was going to go down and help when she saw Aang and Katara running up the path. It was obvious that it was time to leave.

* * *

"Well I have to admit, that was some pretty quick thinking with the Unagi, Aang." said Liu.

"Well I couldn't just let that village burn down, just because I was being stupid and letting the whole Avatar thing go to my head." he replied.

"Liu?"

"Yes Sokka?"

"Was it really necessary to bring your Kanga-dogs?" he asked as the two little fluff-balls attacked him with licks.

"Is it really necessary for _you_ to still be wearing that dress?" she asked with a smirk.

**Oh yeah, my OC is awesome. And yes, Aang is no longer the last Airbender, I thought that would be unfair on him. Anyway, lots of fun and hilarity coming soon. See 'ya.**


	3. The King of Omashu

Helping Hand

**Once again, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The King of Omashu

"So Aang, where exactly are we headed?" asked Liu.

"Well, our main destination is the Northern Water Tribe to find a Waterbending teacher for me and Katara. But right now we're making a brief stop at the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu."

"Omashu?" Liu declared.

Seeing her reaction, Aang became curious.

"Do you know it?"

"Know it? That's my home! I haven't seen it in five years."

"Five years?" everyone asked incredulously.

"I wonder if anyone will even recognize me."

"Well Liu, since this is clearly important to you, we'll definitely go there."

* * *

"The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu." Aang declared as they approached. "I used to always come here to visit my friend Bumi."

_Bumi? Aang doesn't know, does he?_ thought Liu.

"Wow, we don't have cities like this in the South Pole." said an astonished Katara.

"They have buildings here that don't melt." said an equally amazed Sokka.

Liu looked at the city she had missed for so long. _Will they even recognize me? I haven't really changed that much, on the outside at least._

After Katara and Sokka suggested that Aang get a disguise, they quickly came up with a really silly looking old-guy moustache and wig. They then proceeded to the city gate, leaving Appa and the two Kanga-dogs to wait for them.

* * *

"You guys are going to love Omashu," Aang said to Sokka and Katara, "the people here are the friendliest in the world."

_We are?_ thought Liu. No sooner had Aang made his statement than an angry shout was heard.

"Rotten Cabbages? What kind of slum do you think this is?" a guard shouted at a cabbage merchant. The guard then proceeded to Earthbend the man's cabbage cart off the side of the earth bridge. To which the merchant cried, "Ah! My Cabbages!"

After witnessing this event Aang whispered, "Just keep smiling."

Upon seeing the four, the guard Earthbended a large rock above them.

"State your business."

Aang rushed up to the man, and pointing a finger in his face declared, "My business is my business, young man, and none of yours! I have half a mind to bend you over my knee and paddle your backside!"

"Settle down old timer, just tell me who you are."

After Aang gave the guard the phoniest fake name in history, the Gaang proceeded to head for the gate. That is until the guard spotted Liu.

"Wait a minute." the guard said, noticing the golden Earth Kingdom insignia that Liu was wearing around her neck. Liu realized her cover was about to be blown; so she joined her right-hand index finger and thumb together and traced the digits across her lips, a signal that in Omashu means: 'Keep Silent.' The guard noticed this gesture, and turned his attention instead to Sokka, whom he ordered to carry Aang's bag.

* * *

Liu couldn't believe she was back, the delivery system was still as incredibly huge as it always had been. And it was with enthusiastic agreement on Liu's part, that Aang suggested they do the activity that Aang and Bumi used to participate in back in the old days.

"I remember doing this as a kid. It was one of my favorite things ever." Liu said as the group seated themselves in the earthen delivery cart.

"One ride, then it's off to the North Pole. Airbender's honor. Unless Liu needs to say hi to anyone before we leave."

Liu, however, was too busy grinning like an idiot, waiting for the ride to start. Katara, on the other hand, was not as enthusiastic.

"You know, this sounded like fun at first but now that I'm here, I'm starting to have second thoughts..." she was cut off as Aang suddenly launched the ride.

Liu hadn't had so much fun in years, and it was making her laugh in her bizarre way that sounded like a cross between a giggle and a squeak that almost made her sound like she was hiccupping. Of course, their little joy ride ended with them getting sent head-first into a familiar looking cabbage merchant's cart.

* * *

Being arrested and brought before the King of Omashu was definitely not something that Liu had been planning for her return home. Not that she was worried about the slight incident of vandalism, mind you, but this was certainly going to be an awkward experience. Upon being brought before the king, Liu kept a straight face, though she realized her cover would soon be blown once the king recognized her. Although the king did have a look of surprise flicker across his face, he said nothing until the guard asked him what he was going to do with them.

"Throw them...a feast."

* * *

The king really was as nutty as ever, of course Liu wasn't surprised in the least.

"The people in my city have gotten fat from too many feasts, so I hope you like your chicken with no skin."

"Thanks, but I don't eat meat." replied Aang.

"How about _you_?" the king said to Sokka. "I bet you like meat."

As the king returned to his seat, he once again addressed Aang.

"So tell me young bald one. Where are you from?"

"I'm from...Kangaroo Island."

"Ah, Kangaroo Island eh? I hear that place is really _hopping_."

The room was silent for a minute before Liu and Sokka burst out laughing.

When Aang and Katara looked at the two incredulously, they replied.

"What?" Sokka asked.

"It was pretty funny." Liu finished.

The king then yawned and continued.

"Well, all these good jokes are making me tired. Guess it's time to hit-the-hay." Suddenly, the king pulled a roasted chicken leg from the sleeve of his robe and threw it at Aang, who caught it in an Airbending move to the amazement of the guards.

"There's an Airbender in our presence, and not just any Airbender. The Avatar!"

* * *

"This is a prison cell?" asked Katara, "But it's so nice."

"He did say it was newly refurbished." Aang replied.

_It's certainly much nicer than when I last saw it. Not that I'm going to mention that_ thought Liu.

"I can't believe it, but in my five year absence from home, that king is still as crazy as ever."

"You could've warned us that riding the mail-system was against the law." Sokka said.

"It didn't used to be." _At least, not for me._

After Aang's failed attempt at shoving Momo into the air vents, and Liu's subsequent rescue of the little creature, Katara suggested that they all just get some sleep. Sometime later; Liu, Katara, and Sokka were each awoken and led away by the guards.

* * *

"I don't have time for your crazy games! Give me my friends back! We're leaving!"

"Oh, I thought you might refuse. So I will give your friends some special souvenirs."

The wall descended and Liu, Katara, and Sokka were there. Each being restrained by a guard. The guards then proceeded to place strange crystal rings on each of the three teenagers' index fingers: a light blue one on Katara, a purple one on Sokka, and a green one on Liu.

"Those delightful rings are made of pure Jennamite. Also known as 'Creeping Crystal'. It's a crystal that grows remarkably fast. By nightfall your friends will be completely covered in it. Terrible fate really. I can stop it, but only if you cooperate."

"Ah! It's already creeping!" shouted Sokka.

"I'll do what you want." replied Aang.

* * *

Throughout the whole series of contests, Liu said nothing. With the exception of an occasional 'Come on Aang, use your head' that she muttered under her breath. After the final challenge, the king asked one more thing of Aang.

"What...is my name?" Aang just responded with a puzzled look. "From the looks of your friends I'd say you only have a few minutes."

After the king left, the three all turned to look at Liu.

"Liu," Aang asked, "you've grown up in Omashu, what's his name?"

Just then a guard came in and escorted her out.

"The king said he doesn't want you to cheat." the guard said as he led the girl away.

* * *

"I solved the question the same way I solved the challenges. As you said a long time ago, I had to open my brain to the possibilities. Bumi, you're a mad genius."

"Oh Aang it's so good to see you. You haven't changed a bit. Literally."

After Bumi released Sokka and Katara from their Jennamite prisons, Liu entered.

"Great job Aang. Now let's get going."

"Not so fast young lady," Bumi stopped her, "I believe you owe your friends an explanation as well."

Liu sighed.

"Fine, grandpa."

"Grandpa!" the three others exclaimed.

"Aang, I would like you to meet my granddaughter. Princess Liu-rong, heir to the throne of Omashu."

"Liu? Why didn't you tell us that he's your grandfather?" asked Aang.

"You never asked." And with that she proceeded to laugh her unique little laugh.

"So Bumi, you married an Airbender?"

"Yes Aang, and I believe you know her as well."

"Bumi, what's going on in here? Have you been making trouble again?" asked an old woman who suddenly entered the throne room. She was dressed in formal Earth Kingdom robes, but on her forehead she bore the mark of a Master Airbender. When she noticed Aang, her eyes filled up with tears.

"A-Aang, is it really...?"

Aang didn't recognize her at first, but then it hit him. The only blood relative he knew about, the one he used to tease about her crush on Bumi when they were kids, his big sister.

"Yin-Yin?"

Aang ran up and hugged his big sister for the first time in a hundred years.

"Aang, where have you...why did you...? Oh Aang, it's so good to see you again. My little brother."

"Brother?" the three teenagers all declared in amazement.

After a few minutes, another person was heard entering.

"Father-in-law, have we heard any news yet about...*Gasp*...Liu?"

"Hey mom."

It was mother and daughter's turn to hug.

"Five years. I can't believe how grown up you are. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too mom."

Liu then turned to face her friends.

"Guys, this is my mom. Lady Manna."

The woman was clearly Water Tribe, as Liu had said. Her skin was a smooth tan color, her eyes a deep ocean blue (Bluer than her daughter's which had been diluted with a grey color she had gotten from her paternal grandmother), and soft dark brown hair that had been tied back in a braid. Lady Manna was also dressed in blue, that stood out amidst the sea of green as much as Sokka and Katara's clothing; the style of her dress was an Earth Kingdom style that had obviously had some Water Tribe alterations done to make it look more like the clothes she wore years ago.

"Oh, fellow Water Tribe citizens. I assume you are from the South?"

"You assume correctly, Lady Manna." Katara replied.

"It is good to see people from my childhood home. Tell me, how is my old friend Kya doing?"

The two Water Tribe teens' faces instantly fell.

"Our mother was killed in a Fire Nation raid when we were very young."

"Oh I'm so sorry." Manna instantly regretted her question. "She was one of my best friends for years, up until I left the tribe. But if you two are her children, then I'm sure she is proud of you. And thank you for looking out for my daughter, Liu always was shy about making new friends."

"Mom!"

It was then that Manna noticed the necklace that Katara was wearing. _But, that looks like..._

"Liu, may I have a quick word with you in private."

Once they were out of the room, Manna took a small bracelet from her wrist.

"Liu, I know you have only come home for a brief visit and that you intend to keep traveling with these young people. So, I want you to take this bracelet. Years ago, I made a promise to my twin brother that I would send him this bracelet when I had a child, I have not kept that promise so far, but if by chance you should see him, or someone who is going to see him, I want you to give him this. You remember your uncle's name don't you?"

"Of course mom, I'll be sure Uncle Hakoda gets the bracelet."

* * *

Once everyone was together in the throne room again, arrangements were made for the group to spend one more day in Omashu. There was going to be a little celebration to welcome home the princess who had been gone for so long. This was followed by Aang posing his own challenge for Bumi. So the Avatar and the crazy King of Omashu rode the mail system all the next day.

**So many plot bunnies. Yes, Liu is Bumi's granddaughter. Yes, Aang has an older sister who married Bumi. Yes, Liu's mom is Hakoda's twin sister. Yes, I am crazy, well what else do you expect if I'm Bumi's granddaughter in the story. Just so you know, I chose the name Manna because I thought it sounded pretty, it's a word from the Bible (Look it up).**


	4. Imprisoned

Helping Hand

**Yes, I'm back again. I hope you like the last chapter. I'm so weird. But with the plot bunnies...and the lack of entertainment...and my whole sleep deprivation thing going on, well what else can I say. I mean, besides the fact that I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Imprisoned

Aang, Katara, and Liu were all waiting in a little clearing when Sokka came back from foraging. They were all hungry and tired, so the prospect of food was quite welcome.

"Great, you're back." Aang said. "What's for dinner?"

"We've got a few options." Sokka replied, opening the bag he was holding. "First, round nuts..and some kind of oval-shaped nuts. And some rock-shaped nuts, that..might just be rocks. Dig in."

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances.

"Seriously," said Katara, "what else you got?"

Sokka looked, only to come up empty. He then turned to Liu.

"Hey Liu? Just out of curiosity, do you know if Kanga-dog meat is good?"

Liu glared at Sokka.

"You're _not_ eating Boomer and Gio." she responded, pulling the little creatures into her arms protectively.

"Liu, come on, I was joking."

"Oh, sorry but I take things pretty seriously. I hate being teased."

Suddenly, they all heard a large noise. Like an earthquake.

"What was that?" Sokka asked.

It sounded again.

"It's coming from over there!" Aang shouted.

As everyone started to head in the direction of the noise, Sokka hesitated.

"Shouldn't we run _away_ from huge booms? Not _toward_ them."

* * *

The Gaang soon came upon a clearing, where they saw a young boy practicing Earthbending.

"An Earthbender." said Katara.

"Let's go meet him." suggested Aang.

"He is kinda cute." said Liu, earning her some awkward glances.

"He looks dangerous," said Sokka, "so we'd better approach cautiously."

Of course, all stealth was rendered useless when they looked up to see Katara standing out in the open, greeting the mysterious young man.

"Hello! I'm Katara! What's your name?"

As soon as the boy saw her, he stopped what he was doing and ran off. Creating a small landslide to cover his exit.

"Nice to meet you!" Aang called after him.

"I just wanted to say hi." said Katara.

"Way to scare off the cute boy, Katara." Liu said, with a slight hint of bitterness.

"Hey, that guy's gotta be running _somewhere_. Maybe we're near a village?" Aang pointed out.

"You're right Aang!" Liu exclaimed. "In fact I think I know which one. If my memory serves me correctly, and it usually does, we are not far from the Earth Kingdom mining village of Kun. Three of my cousins are stationed there!"

"Well I bet that village has a market." Aang continued.

"Which means no nuts for dinner!" Katara exclaimed happily.

They all walked on, oblivious to Sokka's declaration.

"Hey! I worked hard to get those nuts. Nyah, I hate 'em too."

* * *

They soon arrived at the little Earth Kingdom village. Somehow, Aang had managed to barter the nuts that Sokka had found for a hat to hide his arrow. Katara then noticed the boy they had seen earlier, going into a store.

"Hey, you're that kid. Why did you run away before?"

The boy gasped.

"Uh, no you must be confusing me with some other kid."

As the others came in Aang retorted.

"No she isn't, we saw you Earthbending."

The boy and his mother both gasped at that.

The woman quickly slammed the door and window shut.

"They saw you doing _what_?"

"They're crazy mom. I mean look at how they're dressed."

"You know how dangerous that is. You know what would happen if _they_ caught you Earthbending."

As if on cue, the sound of pounding on the door was heard.

"Open up!"

Sokka peaked out the window.

"Fire Nation. Act natural."

As soon as the kids had all gotten into their most unassuming poses, the woman opened the door. When a scary-looking Fire Nation soldier entered, she got into a slight argument with him over a new tax hike, but that was quickly resolved when the man hinted that if she didn't pay up he would burn down her establishment. So the woman grudgingly handed over the few meager coins she had. After the man left, Sokka sarcastically said, "Nice guy."

Liu suddenly felt a dreadful sensation in her stomach. "Those were Fire Nation soldiers. But, if they're here then...how long have they been here?"

"Five years." The lady replied. "Fire Lord Ozai uses our towns coal mines to fuel his ships."

"They're thugs," the boy continued, "they steal from us. And everyone here is too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"Quiet Haru," the boy's mother said, "don't talk like that."

Liu, who was still in a state of shock, continued. "Five years? It was that long ago that I left home, and that my cousins were stationed in this village. Do you know three young Earthbenders named Mene, Tekel, and Peres?"

Haru and his mother both looked at her with pity.

"Yes," Haru's mother answered, "they were taken away."

Katara then spoke up. "But Haru's an Earthbender. He can help."

"Earthbending is forbidden. It's caused nothing but misery for this village. He must _never_ use his abilities."

"How can you say that? Haru has a gift. Asking him not to Earthbend is like asking me not to Waterbend. It's a part of who we are."

"You don't understand."

"I understand that Haru can help you fight back. What can the Fire Nation do to you that they haven't done already?"

"They could take Haru away! Like they took his father."

Liu felt a sharp pain in her heart. Not just for her cousins, but for Haru as well. Liu herself knew the pain of losing a father.

* * *

After Haru escorted them to the barn at his house; he, Liu, and Katara walked off together.

"I'm sorry about your father. I lost my own father during the 600 day siege of Ba Sing Se." said Liu.

"I'm sorry you had to find out about your cousins like that. They were really fun guys, but they always took their jobs seriously."

"That's them."

Katara spoke, "I'm sorry for what I said, if I had known..."

"It's okay. It's funny, but the things you said back in the store. It reminded me of him."

"Thanks."

"When the Fire Nation attacked the village, he and the other Earthbenders were outnumbered ten to one. But they fought back anyway."

"He sounds like a great man."

"After the attack, they rounded up my father and every other Earthbender. We haven't seen them since."

"I guess, wherever they are, that must be where my cousins are. So that's why you hide your Earthbending?" Liu continued.

"Yeah. Problem is, the only way I can feel close to my father now, is when I practice my Bending. He taught me everything I know."

The three teens sat together on a little cliff side.

"You see this necklace?" Katara asked. "My mother gave it to me."

"It's beautiful." said Haru.

"I lost my mother in a Fire Nation raid. This necklace is all I have left of her."

"It's not enough is it?"

"No."

* * *

Liu went back to the barn to settle in for the night. Leaving Haru to show Katara the coal mines.

As Liu got her sleeping bag laid out, she realized that there was someone she needed to see. So she seated herself, and began to meditate.

_It was warm and lit with a soft, golden glow. Liu walked along the familiar path to a flowering cherry tree. Beneath it, was a man in his early twenties, dressed in Fire Nation robes, who was playing a game of Pai Sho. _

_"Liu? I was wondering when you were going to come and visit me again." _

_"What can I say? I missed you. Shall we have some tea, maybe with some of those little shortbread cookies?"_

_"I think that can be arranged."_

_With a snap of his fingers, the Pai Sho table was replaced by a fancy tea service. As she poured them both some tea, Liu felt herself unsure of how to ask her Spirit Guide for help._

_"You are concerned about something?"_

_"A couple things, actually. I found out today that my threes cousins were taken away by the Fire Nation not long after I left home."_

_"I am so sorry Liu. Wait, which cousins are we talking about?"_

_Liu rolled her eyes. She could understand how that could be a point of confusion for anyone. She did have a number of relatives that she simply called 'cousins'._

_"The twins, Mene and Peres, and their younger brother Tekel."_

_"Oh, the ones who used to hold you underwater in the swimming pool when you were little?"_

_"Yes. But that aside. They've been captured, and sent who-knows-where? and I have no idea what to do."_

_"Well, I think that everything will be clear after a good night's rest. And your other problem?"_

_"There's this really cute boy-"_

_"Sorry, our time is up. Please come back soon."_

_"Oh come on. You're my Spirit Guide. You're supposed to help me with stuff."_

_"This is not an area where I can help you. If you have boy troubles, why don't you ask that nice Water Tribe girl you've been traveling with?"_

_"Fine. I'll see you soon."_

_With that, she stood up and headed back to her physical form._

* * *

The next morning, as the team was packing up, Katara burst back into the room.

"They took him! They took Haru!" as she went on and on about how it was her fault, Liu felt that pain in her heart again. _So that's what he meant._

"Slow down Katara." said Sokka. "When did this happen?"

"Haru's mother said that they came for him at midnight."

"Then it's too late to track him, he's long gone."

"We don't need to track him. The Fire Nation is going to lead me straight to Haru."

"And why would they do that?" asked Aang.

"Because they're going to arrest me for Earthbending."

* * *

"I thought you were crazy at first Katara, but this might work." Sokka said as he and the two girls pushed the rock over the air vent. Liu noticed that Aang clearly wasn't paying attention, so she decided that she would take over if he didn't catch the signal. It was only a matter of moments before a group of Fire Nation soldiers were headed their way. Liu had to fight to suppress the giggles that were trying to escape her mouth as she listened to the Water Tribe siblings' fake argument.

"...Earthbending style!" Katara declared. Liu saw that Aang had lost focus again and took it upon herself to save the plan, blasting a huge torrent of air into the vent. Causing the rock to levitate. Liu almost lost control, however, when she heard what the guard said.

"That lemur! He's Earthbending!" Liu looked over and saw Momo standing right behind the boulder with his arms outstretched.

"No you idiot, it's the girl." Sokka pointed out.

"Oh, of course."

Liu and Aang both watched from their hiding spot as Katara was led away by the soldiers. After they went over to stand by Sokka, the solemn mood was totally ruined.

"Momo, _you've_ got some big ears."

* * *

They silently followed Katara and the guards to the wharf, and from there they followed the ship she was boarded on to by flying Appa in the safety of the clouds. Liu wondered what they were going to do once they were there, it's not like they could just leave all the Earthbenders there. Liu felt deep sorrow at the thought that anyone, not just her own family, was being treated so harshly by the Fire Nation.

Sokka noticed Aang's concerned look when they spotted the eerie Fire Nation prison.

"She'll be fine Aang. Katara knows what she's doing."

* * *

Inside the prison, Katara found Haru who introduced her to his father, Tyro. Soon they were joined by three young men in their early twenties. Two of the boys looked almost identical, except one was taller.

"So who's the newbie?" one of the boys asked.

"Mene, this is Katara." Haru said.

"I'm Peres."

"Oh, I forgot. Peres is the taller of the two, even though Mene is technically the eldest." Haru explained to Katara.

"Wait a minute." Katara said. "Are you three Mene, Tekel, and Peres?"

"Indeed we are." Mene answered.

"I know your cousin, Liu."

"Liu!" exclaimed Tekel, "We haven't seen the little squirt in years."

"Well, she's not exactly a 'little squirt' anymore." Katara then turned to Tyro and asked. "So what's your escape plan?"

"Excuse me?"

"The escape plan. What is it? Mutiny? Sabotage?"

"The plan? The plan is to survive. Wait out this war. Hope that someday some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened."

"How can you say that? You sound like you've already given up."

"Katara, I admire your courage. And I envy your youth. But people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. I'm sorry, but we're powerless."

"We'll see about that." Katara clenched her fists, rose, and called for everyone's attention. She then gave a heart-felt speech about the strength that the Earthbenders have inside them, calling them to fight back. However, it seemed that no one listened, they just pushed away her words and went back to whatever it was they had been doing.

* * *

That night, Katara was woken by Liu, who hushed her and led her to where the guys were waiting.

"Your 12-hours are up, where's Haru? We need to go." Sokka whispered.

"No." Katara replied sternly. "I'm not giving up on these people. Liu's cousins are in there, how can we abandon _them_ as well? And what about all the others? It just wouldn't be fair to leave them all like this."

"Guys, I think we should listen to her." said Liu. "I have a feeling we need to stay and help."

"Well let's hide before someone sees us." Sokka replied as they ducked under the searchlight.

* * *

Liu and Aang both jumped out of the air vent after having Airbended the coal up from the furnace of the rig, coughing and dusting themselves off.

"Here's your chance Earthbenders!" Katara cried, picking up a lump of coal," Take it! Your fate is in your own hands!"

When no one responded, the warden laughed at Katara and told her she failed. As he walked away, a lump of coal hit him in the back of the head; the Earthbender who launched it was none other than Haru.

"Show no mercy!" the warden shouted.

As the other Earthbenders joined in, Tyro declared, "For the Earth Kingdom, Attack!"

* * *

As the Gaang and the Earthbenders made their way to the mainland, Liu hugged her cousins.

"I've missed you guys."

"We missed you too." said Tekel.

"What are you three going to do now?"

"I guess it's back to the military." replied Mene.

"Yeah, I don't know about you guys, but I missed kicking Fire Nation butts." Peres added.

"I'll see you around I hope."

"Count on it cos'." Tekel said.

Liu looked over at Haru, who was thanking Katara for all her help. _He was pretty awesome back there._

Suddenly, Liu noticed something was wrong.

"My mother's necklace! It's gone!" Katara cried.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the rig, a banished Fire Nation Prince saw the necklace lying on the ground, and picked it up.

**Yes, I do think Haru is cute so my character has a crush on him. In regards to the name I chose for the village, 'Kun', it is a Chinese word for 'Earth'. The three cousins were inspired by my own cousins Jonathan, Colin, and Jeff, and their names come straight from the Bible (Mene, Tekel, and Peres were the three words that a ghostly hand wrote on the wall during the Babylonian king's banquet; they mean 'to weigh', 'to number', and 'to divide'. It was an interesting story in the book of Daniel, look it up). Also, my dad is still alive, the fact that Liu lost her father is just a plot device. I'm sure you all are wondering, or not, who Liu's Spirit Guide is; if you think you know who it is, leave me a message in the review box. Please review.**


	5. The Winter Solstice Part 1

Helping Hand

**I have returned. I had some seriously messed up dreams last night, I don't know what brought them on as they had nothing to do with Avatar the Last Airbender (which I don't own by the way.). And, I hope you all remember that Aang is Liu's great-uncle, but she still sees him as a goofy friend.**

The Winter Solstice Part 1: 

The Spirit World

As they flew along on Appa, Katara mentioned how soft the clouds looked to which Aang decided to jump out and try to land on one. Only to fall through it and then use his glider to get himself back up, soaking wet.

"Turns out, clouds are made of water. Liu, do you wanna try it?"

"That's okay Aang, I'll wait until I get more Airbending practice before I jump from this high up."

As Aang Airbended himself dry, Katara noticed something.

"Hey, what _is_ that?" They all looked over and saw a dark shape on the valley before them.

"It's like a scar." Sokka replied.

* * *

When they landed, they found the charred remains of a once thriving forest.

"Listen." said Sokka, "It's so quiet. There's no life anywhere."

"Aang, are you okay?" asked Katara.

Sokka then noticed some tracks.

"Fire Nation! Those evil savages make me sick! They have no respect for-"

He was cut off by Katara shushing him. Liu walked over and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Why would anyone do this?" he asked.

"Aang, sometimes people do stupid and pointless things. I mean, look at Sokka."

"Hey!" the Water Tribe boy shouted indignantly.

"But in my experience, even that which seems lost has a way of coming back to us. Even in an unlikely way." As she spoke she held up a little acorn for Aang to see.

Although Aang brightened a bit, he still looked somewhat despondent.

"It's still the Avatar's job to protect nature, but I don't know how to do my job."

"That's why we're going to the North Pole," said Katara, "to find you a teacher."

"Yeah, a Waterbending teacher. But there's no one who can teach me how to be the Avatar. Monk Gyatso said that Avatar Roku would help me."

"The Avatar before you?" asked Sokka. "He died over a hundred years ago, how are you supposed to talk to him?"

"I don't know."

"Well," said Liu, "maybe there is a way. And I have feeling you'll find out soon."

* * *

Soon they heard the sound of someone approaching.

"Hey, who are you?" Sokka asked the old man who came up to them. The man ignored Sokka's question and proceeded up to Aang.

"When I saw the flying bison, I thought it was impossible. But...those markings. Are you the Avatar, child?"

Aang nodded.

"My village desperately needs your help."

* * *

They followed the old man to a small Earth Kingdom village. They found a group of villagers gathered together in the town hall.

"This young person is the Avatar."

Another man approached.

"So the rumors of your return are true. It is the greatest honor of a lifetime to be in your presence."

"Nice to meet you too." Aang replied.

The group learned that the village was being attacked every night by Hei Bai, the black and white spirit. Each night, the being would abscond with another villager; and now those who remained were becoming worried because the Winter Solstice was drawing near. Liu knew enough about the Spirit World to know that that was not a good thing. Aang seemed somewhat unsure of how he could help, he didn't know anything about the Spirit World.

"Well Aang," said Liu, "I know a thing or two about the Spirit World. When the spirit comes, don't try reasoning with it. If a spirit is angry it will only focus on getting its vengeance. To find the answer, you must look within. Oh, and when Hei Bai leaves, be sure to follow him. I think it will help you find some answers."

"Okay." Aang said, uncertain of what she was talking about.

* * *

As Aang waited outside for Hei Bai to show up, and everyone watched from inside the safety of the town hall, Liu decided she needed a word with someone.

_"Liu, how can I help you?"_

"What do you know of Hei Bai?"

_"The black and white spirit? He is the protector of forests, and the guardian of nature."_

"Okay, well he's attacking a village and Aang has to face him."

_"Hei Bai only causes destruction if nature has been hurt."_

"You mean like, if a forest was burned down?"

_"Exactly. But Aang must figure this out on his own. You know better than to disrupt the mission of the Avatar."_

"Don't worry, I just gave him a few hints in the right direction."

At that moment, Liu heard a loud, shrill noise, like nails on a blackboard. She went over to look out the window with the others, and saw Aang confronting the spirit.

* * *

"Katara...Katara I lost him."

"She can't hear you Aang."

"Liu? What...?"

"Look at your hands."

Aang gasped. "I'm in the Spirit World."

"Sort of."

"What do you mean by that? And how can you see me if Katara can't?"

Aang then noticed that Liu was the same, translucent blue as he himself was.

"I've made more than one trip to the Spirit World. Usually it's been to consult with my Spirit Guide. But now I'm here to help you. Look." she pointed into the woods and a strange light appeared. Soon it was clear that the light was a large dragon, heading straight towards them.

"Don't worry, Aang. He will not harm us."

* * *

Aang and Liu rode the dragon, which turned out to be Avatar Roku's dragon, to a temple on a crescent-shaped island in the Fire Nation. Aang started to panic when the dragon was about to go straight through the ceiling, but relaxed when they passed through it and into the temple sanctuary.

"I don't understand. This is just a statue of Roku."

The dragon then showed Aang a vision.

"Is that what Roku wants to talk to me about? A comet? When can I talk to him?"

Now it was Liu's turn.

"Look at the floor, Aang."

"It's a calendar."

"Yes. Do you see that beam of light? It will hit the statue on the Solstice. You can talk to Roku then."

"But I can't wait that long. I have to save Sokka _now_."

"You don't need Roku's help to do that. As I said earlier, you must look within."

"Liu, how do you know all this?"

"Look Aang. I don't know if it's the fact that you're my great-uncle, or what it is, but ever since I was little I've had a strange connection with the spirits. I am what's known as a Spirit Well. It is a human who is born with an ability to act as a medium for spirits. All the knowledge I share with you comes from a higher power. Remember what I said when we met? That something compelled me to wait for you on Kyoshi? That was the spirits. Believe me Aang. The answer to the problem with Hei Bai is more simple than you realize, it's been staring you in the face since the beginning. That's all I can tell you. Now let's get back."

The two Airbenders got back on the dragon, who took them back to their physical forms.

* * *

"What happened?" asked Sokka.

"You were trapped in the Spirit World for 24-hours." Katara answered. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I seriously need to use the bathroom."

Aang went over to talk to Liu.

"Thanks Liu."

"No problem, _great-uncle Aang_." she replied smirking.

Aang returned the smile.

"So, why didn't you just tell me everything from the beginning?"

"I'm not permitted to. As a Spirit Well I can only assist in guiding you to find the answers yourself. The knowledge is there inside of you, I just help it to find its way out."

"How long have you had that gift?"

"I've been very attuned to spiritual activity since I was born. But I really came into my powers soon after my father died."

"What was he like? Your father, I mean?"

"He was really funny. It was hard not to laugh at every other thing he said. He was also tremendously brave, he always faced whatever challenge lay ahead of him like a true prince. He apparently had some difficulty learning Earthbending when he was younger, because he was born with the spirit of an Airbender. Grandfather used to tell me that my dad would get into tons of trouble when he was young, always getting a kick out of breaking a few rules now and then. I wish you could have met him. I think you guys would have gotten along."

Aang gave Liu a friendly, comforting hug.

* * *

"I'm so proud of you Aang," said Katara, "you figured out what to do all on your own."

"Actually, I did have a little help." he said, looking at Liu who smiled in response. "And there is something else."

"What is it?" asked Sokka.

"I need to talk to Roku. And I've found a way to contact his spirit."

"That's great!" Katara enthusiastically exclaimed.

"_Creepy_. But great." Sokka added.

"There's a temple on a crescent-shaped island. And if I go there on the Solstice, I'll be able to speak with him."

"But the Solstice is tomorrow." Katara pointed out.

"Yeah, and there's one more problem. The island is in the Fire Nation."

**Yes! Finished. Yeah I know I changed some stuff, and trimmed it to keep it short. We all know what happened in the series though, right? Yep, Liu has some weird supernatural powers, I based that on the fact that my own family has a strange history of premonitions and spirituality. No joke. In fact, some years ago, when my grandpa died, my mom had literally just heard about it from grandma; not five minutes later the phone rang, it was my dad's older sister, and she asked how my mom's dad was doing. Creepy huh? Also, the night I was born, my dad said he saw his older brother, his older brother who had died in Vietnam years before, he was dressed in a surgical uniform but my dad knew it was him; when he went into the surgical ward a nurse came out, my dad asked about the doctor who had just gone in but the nurse said there wasn't anyone. That day, the doctors who were attending to my mom noticed that I had my umbilical cord wrapped around my throat, and performed a C-section that saved my life. If that isn't psychic weirdness then I don't know what is.**


	6. The Winter Solstice Part 2

Helping Hand

**I hope you all like it so far. I'm still waiting for more reviews.**

The Winter Solstice Part 2:

Avatar Roku

"Come on Appa, faster!" Aang shouted as the team made their way to the crescent island.

"Aang we've got trouble!" Katara yelled.

"And it's gaining fast!" Sokka added.

Before they knew it, a fireball was heading straight for them. They managed to dodge it.

"Can't you make Appa fly any faster?" asked Sokka.

"Yeah, but there's just one problem."

A blockade. Rows of Fire Navy ships were traveling along the border of the Fire Nation waters. Aang suggested that they fly North to avoid the blockade, but Katara pointed out that there was no time. Aang hadn't wanted his friends to come with him as it was so dangerous, but that's _why_ they were there.

"Let's run this blockade." Sokka declared.

Aang got a look of determination.

"Appa! Yip-Yip!"

They soon found themselves dodging tons of fireballs, while desperately trying to keep from falling out. Even Boomer and Gio were terrified, using their claws to stay rooted to the saddle while Liu tried to calm them. As one fireball came perilously close, Liu found herself falling from the saddle.

* * *

"Liu!" Aang cried as he steered Appa to catch the falling girl.

Liu felt it, the Air rushing around her, the thrill of the skies. It filled her with an overpowering sensation, and allowed her to Bend a huge blast of air around her, propelling her back to her friends as they came down to get her.

Now in direct line of fire, the Gaang found themselves heading straight for a huge fireball. Liu looked at Aang and smiled.

"Together."

The two Airbenders launched themselves towards the fireball, shooting blasts of air from their feet and striking the flaming projectile, smashing it to bits.

From his spot on his ship, a Fire Nation commander watched in awe.

"The Avatar and _another_ Airbender?" he said in shock.

Aang and Liu were forced back onto Appa by the impact of their strike. They managed to get past the blockade.

"We made it!" Aang declared happily.

"We got into the Fire Nation. Great." said a very uneasy Sokka.

* * *

They had been flying for hours, and it was getting pretty late in the day, when Aang spotted the island. They landed and took a moment to collect themselves after their harrowing experience.

"You did it buddy." Aang said to Appa. "Nice flying."

Appa rolled over on his side, allowing Katara to rub his belly.

"Aw, you must be tired."

Sokka, who apparently thought the statement was for him, stated that he was 'Refreshed and ready to fight some Firebenders'. When Katara pointed out that she was talking to Appa, Sokka replied that he had been speaking to Momo.

Liu was holding Boomer and Gio, stroking them affectionately and reassuring them. Aang walked up to her.

"Great Airbending back there Liu."

"Thanks."

"In fact, I would say you've earned the title of Level 20 Airbender, for not only abandoning your fears of falling, but for confronting danger and performing a successful Air-strike."

Liu was overjoyed, she had been so lost in the excitement that she forgot that she wasn't even a full-fledged Airbender yet. It had just seemed so natural to her.

* * *

The Gaang made their way up to the temple, Liu decided to bring her Kanga-dogs with them as they were still a little nervous about being away from their master after the whole flying ordeal.

The temple was eerily quiet, and looked deserted. There didn't seem to be any guards so the Gaang assumed that the temple had been abandoned after Avatar Roku's death. Seeing how close it was to sundown, they decided to hurry up. Once they were inside, Sokka stopped.

"Wait. I think I heard something."

They turned around and saw a group of men dressed in strange robes.

"We are the Fire Sages," said the man who looked like he was in charge, "guardians of the temple of the Avatar."

"Great!" Aang declared. "I am the Avatar."

"We know."

With that, the Fire Sages launched fire blast at Aang. Seeing the danger, Liu jumped in the way, standing stock-still. They fire never even touched her, and instead rebounded towards the attackers. With the distraction, Aang sent a blast of air to push them back.

"Run!" he shouted.

* * *

As they frantically ran, trying to find some way to the sanctuary they ended up running into one of the Fire Sages. When the man finally had them cornered, he said that he wasn't going to fight them. He opened a secret passage and led them all inside. As they walked along the passage the man, whose name was revealed to be Shyuu, told them of the history of the temple and that the other Fire Sages were now loyal to the Fire Lord. Unfortunately, once they reached the sanctuary doors, they found them locked. Sokka came up with a plan to try and open them, however the doors only had a few scorch marks. But even though it failed, it gave Katara her own idea. They waited for the other Sages to arrive, Shyuu then told them that the Avatar had somehow gotten inside. When the Sages opened the doors, they found the room empty except for Momo who had crawled in through the pipes. Now was the time to act. The others subdued the Fire Sages.

"Now Aang!" Shyuu called.

No response.

"Aang! Now's your chance!" Katara shouted.

Aang appeared, but he was being restrained by a certain banished prince.

"The Avatar's coming with _me_." This allowed the evil Fire Sages to capture the others. "Close the doors! Quickly!"

Seeing Aang in trouble, Liu knew there was only one option.

"Boomer! Gio! Attack!"

Hearing their master's voice, they transformed into their full forms. Instead of the cute, fluffy puppy-type creatures they had looked like for so long, they now appeared as huge shaggy creatures with sharp teeth and claws and long, slender legs that allowed them to leap about the room. The two creatures pounced on the scarred prince, allowing Aang to make a dash for the sanctuary. He made it, just as the doors closed. Suddenly, an eerie blue light filled the room for a few moments. Liu then issued a command to her two Kanga-dogs.

"Boomer! Gio! Huòdé bāngzhù!" With that, the two creatures left, leaping from the window to land safely on the ground below. When the Fire Sages and Prince Zuko attempted to open the sanctuary doors, they wouldn't budge. Avatar Roku didn't want them inside.

* * *

"Why did you help the Avatar?" Prince Zuko demanded.

"Because it was once the Sages duty." replied Shyuu. "It is _still_ our duty."

The sound of clapping drew everyone's attention.

"What a moving and heart-felt performance." came a sneering voice. "I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him."

"Commander Zhao." the Head Fire Sage said, bowing respectfully.

"And Prince Zuko," Zhao turned his attention to the young man, "it was a noble effort, but your little smoke screen _didn't_ work. Two traitors in one day, the Fire Lord _will_ be pleased." One of Zhao's guards came up and restrained the prince.

"You're too late Zhao!" Zuko declared. "The Avatar's inside and the doors are sealed."

"No matter. Sooner or later, he has to come out." Zhao then took notice of the other prisoners, he recognized Liu as the Airbender who was with the Avatar. "And that must be the other Airbender, the one I saw earlier."

"Do not underestimate that girl." warned the Head Sage. "Earlier, when we attempted to capture the Avatar she somehow deflected our Bending without even moving."

"Impressive." He looked Liu right in the face. "Tell me, how did a little Airbender like you hide from the Fire Nation all this time? And how does it feel knowing that your people have been eradicated."

Liu glared at him. "I haven't been hiding. When my gift was discovered my family couldn't have been more proud. And the Air Nomads may be gone, but their spirits live on in me, and my grandmother, and the Avatar."

"How touching." Zhao replied sarcastically. "But what is this strange ability that the Fire Sage just mentioned you having?"

"As if I'd tell _you_."

"Well, when we escort you and the Avatar to the Fire Lord we'll see how you feel then."

* * *

Zhao ordered his guards to prepare for when the doors opened.

"When those doors open, unleash all your fire power!"

"How's Aang going to make it out of this?" Katara whispered.

"How are _we_ gonna make it out of this?" Sokka replied.

Soon the doors began to glow that same mysterious blue light, and slowly began to open. At the sight of the glowing eyes in the darkness of the sanctuary, the Firebenders prepared to strike.

"No! Aang!" Katara shouted.

"Fire!" Zhao ordered. But as soon as the blast hit, it became apparent that it was not Aang, but Avatar Roku, who was in the sanctuary. The previous Avatar repelled the intended strike back at his opponents, the fire melting the chains that held the others.

Everyone began to flee as Avatar Roku began to destroy the temple. Avatar Roku then reverted back into Aang. The others went over to get him.

"We got your back." Sokka told him.

"Thanks. Where's Shyuu?" asked the exhausted Avatar.

"I don't know." Katara answered.

They then saw Appa flying up to the temple with two, now much smaller, Kanga-dogs on his back and Momo, who was wearing a Fire Sage hat, flying right beside him. The bison flew right up to the hole in the wall, allowing them to escape from the sinking temple.

* * *

As they flew in the direction of the full moon, the team all a had a few questions.

"So Liu? What exactly _did_ you do to stop those fire blasts?" Sokka asked.

"I suppose it's safe to tell you. I am not just an Airbender, I have a gift known as Energybending that allows me to be resistant to Bending based attacks. I can repel _any_ form of Bending without even having to move."

"And you didn't think to mention this earlier?"

"Would you have believed me if I had?"

**Yes, Liu is an Energybender. Just for the record, I actually developed the idea of Energybenders other than the Avatar before I ever saw the Legend of Korra, so whether or not you think my version of Energybending is good is your opinion, of course I would love to hear your opinion if you drop me a note in the review box. Please. Also, the order that Liu gave to Boomer and Gio 'Huòdé bāngzhù', is Chinese for 'get help', that's how Appa knew to come. Oh, I forgot to mention that Boomer and Gio are based on my Black Lab Boomer and a Golden Retriever named Gio who belongs to a lady at my Church.**


	7. The Waterbending Scroll

Helping Hand

**Okay, this story is going to be radically changed because I do not approve of stealing, and because of the fact that Liu is a princess so she has plenty of ways to pay for stuff. But I will include some of the original plot.**

The Waterbending Scroll

"Aang will you _please_ calm down, you're going to wear a hole in Appa's saddle." said Liu.

"Or if we hit a bump you'll go flying off." added Sokka. "What's bothering you anyway?"

"It's what Avatar Roku said. I'm supposed to master all four elements before that comet arrives."

"Well let's see, you've pretty much mastered Airbending and that only took you 112 years. I'm _sure_ you can master three more elements by next Summer."

"Sokka, I don't think that's helping." said Liu.

"I haven't even started Waterbending and we're still weeks away from the North Pole. What am I going to do?" asked a very worried Aang.

"Calm down." said Katara. "It's going to be okay. If you want, I can try and teach you some of the stuff I know."

"You'd do that?"

"Of course, but we'll need to find a good source of water first."

"Maybe we could find a puddle for you to splash in." Sokka suggested, with a slight hint of sarcasm.

* * *

"Nice puddle." Sokka said as he looked at the giant waterfall that poured out into the river below.

"Hey Aang?"

"Yes Liu?"

"After you're done practicing with Katara, maybe we could work on some Airbending?"

"No problem."

"Great." Said Sokka. "And what am I supposed to do?"

"You could, clean the gunk out of Appa's toes." Aang suggested, holding up a small tree branch.

"So while you guys are playing in the water, I'm supposed to be hard at work picking mud out of a giant bison's feet?"

"Mud and bugs."

Sokka paused for a second. "Okay."

As Aang and Katara practiced their Waterbending, with Aang picking up on the moves pretty quickly, Liu got a strange feeling that told her to move the supplies. Her premonition proved correct when Aang created a huge wave that would have washed away their supplies had it not been for Liu's intervention.

"That's enough practice for today." Katara said, with a touch of bitterness.

"So Aang, shall we practice Airbending now?" asked Liu.

"Okay!"

Liu turned to Katara and whispered. "Don't take it too hard. He's the Avatar. It's only natural that he learns so quickly. But I bet that you'll outdo him in a professional training regime." Katara smiled at her friend.

"Okay Liu, let's see what Yin-Yin taught you."

* * *

Later, Liu asked if they could go into town to do some shopping. While in town, Aang found a cute bison whistle. When Sokka said that it didn't even work, Liu pointed out that animals can hear what humans can't.

Soon they found themselves addressed by a strange man who had been advertising a business on board a ship.

"You there! I can see from your clothing that you're world traveling types, perhaps I can interest you in some exotic curios?"

"Sure." said Aang. "What are curios?"

Liu answered. "They're objects of rare and interesting quality that people collect and use to decorate their homes. Sometimes they even have practical use."

"You are correct young lady!" the man responded, leading them onto the ship.

* * *

The collection of items was quite enthralling. Liu had gotten her love antiques from her mother, and she had learned how to tell the real ones from the fake. Katara came upon an authentic Waterbending scroll.

"Where did you get a Waterbending scroll?" Aang asked the captain.

"Let's just say I got it up North, at a most reasonable price, free."

"Wait a minute." said Sokka. "Sea-loving traders, with suspiciously acquired merchandise, and pet reptile birds? You guys are pirates!"

"We prefer the term 'High-risk traders'." The man from earlier said.

"So, how much for the 'traded' scroll?" asked Katara.

"I've already got a buyer. A nobleman in the Earth Kingdom. Unless of course you've got 500 gold pieces on 'ya right now?"

Liu looked up.

"I can afford it."

"Liu, no. You shouldn't have to spend your money on us. You should save it." said Katara.

"Come on Katara, think of it as an investment. I want to make a contribution to the group, and if this helps..."

"Liu, it doesn't feel right."

But Liu would not be deterred, she wouldn't even need money, she had other forms of payment. She reached into the leather satchel she kept tied to the black belt around her waist, and pulled out three Jennamite rings that she held between her fingers. The Gaang winced at the sight, remembering the last time they saw rings like those.

"These rings are pure Jennamite, and worth a fortune outside Omashu."

The pirate captain looked at the rings in amazement, Jennamite was indeed a very valuable substance as it was only found in Omashu. The captain eagerly exchanged the rings for the scroll. Liu, being the person that she was, decided to caution the captain about how no one should put on those rings unless an Earthbender is present.

* * *

"Liu, you didn't have to do that."

"Don't worry Katara, I have plenty more Jennamite rings. I keep them as a last resort in battle, or to buy stuff like that scroll that we didn't want to spend actual money on."

"Well okay. As long as it's not a problem for you. It just feels too much like mooching."

"Katara, I'm a part of this group. And as a part of this group, I am obliged to use my gifts to help in any way I can."

Liu was satisfied that she had been of help to the group. However, it was clear that Katara was still struggling to keep up with Aang as they practiced the water-whip. Liu was suddenly struck by a sense of foreboding, as if someone were coming for them.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on the pirate ship.

"That was probably the best deal we ever made." said the captain. "That red-haired girl certainly was helpful."

"It's a good thing that Water Tribe girl she was with didn't talk her out of buying that Waterbending scroll." said the first-mate.

Curious, a young Fire Nation prince overheard their discourse.

"These two girls, did they have a little monk traveling with them? With an arrow on his head?"

* * *

That night, no one noticed that Katara took off with the scroll. No one that is, except Liu.

"What are you doing?"

"Liu, I was just...um.."

"Katara, I'm not going to stop you. In fact, I've heard that Waterbenders are stronger at night so it's good for you to practice now. But why are you sneaking off without telling us?"

"I guess I...I just wanted to..."

"To what? Be better than Aang? Katara, listen to me. I understand how you must feel, the fact that you've been training your whole life and Aang is so good without even trying. But you must listen. Sometimes our own insecurities hold us back, maybe you aren't doing as well as Aang is because you feel as though you haven't proven to yourself that you are capable enough. But I sense that you were born for greatness, and that greatness will be revealed in time." Katara started to tear up, everything Liu was saying was true. "Now go on, you've got some Waterbending to practice."

* * *

_Where is she_ thought Liu_ she can't have stayed out all night. Something feels wrong._ Suddenly, a group of Fire Nation soldiers burst in on them. Everyone was at the ready. Liu drew the sword she carried on her back, right next to her bow and arrows, and used it to Airbend an attack at her opponents.

"Great shot Liu!" Aang declared.

"Aang! Look out!" she declared as some of the soldiers approached him from behind. It was too late, the soldiers got him. They then captured Sokka. Before Liu could call her Kang-dogs, they nabbed her too.

As the soldiers led them to Zuko, Liu was already formulating a plan.

* * *

"Nice work." Zuko said.

They looked over and saw Katara tied to a tree. She looked up sadly.

"Aang! I'm so sorry, it's all my fault."

"No Katara, it's not."

"Aang's right, if it's anyone's fault it's mine for buying the scroll." said Liu.

"Enough of this!" Zuko shouted.

Liu then decided to do something incredibly reckless and stupid. She sent a burst of air towards the ground, launching herself up above everyone's heads. This loosened her bonds enough for her to break free. When she landed, she withdrew some smoke pellets [The same kind the pirates had in the original episode] and threw them to the ground, creating a smoke screen. In the confusion, Aang and Sokka managed to slip away. Katara escaped when Momo came and ate through her ropes. Liu, however, ended up face-to-face with prince Zuko.

"Hand over the Avatar."

"No way! And you'd better not have done anything to Katara while you had her hostage."

"That little peasant? She was just there as bait for the Avatar."

"_Sure she was_."

"Why you little...!"

He lunged for her, but she easily dodged.

"What's your problem? Aang's just doing his job as Avatar. He doesn't need people like you hunting him."

"Why are you so concerned?"

"He's the last hope for the world to be free from the Fire Nation. And he's a part of my family."

"What? How?"

"That's none of your business."

"Liu! Come on!" Katara called.

"We'll meet again Prince Zuko. You can count on that." With that said, Liu disappeared into the smoke.

* * *

"Aang? Do you still have that bison whistle?"

"Right here."

"Blow into it. Now."

Aang did as Liu said. And just like that, Appa appeared and the Gaang managed to escape.

* * *

"Great thinking Liu. You've got guts." said Aang.

"It was nothing."

"Nothing?" Sokka exclaimed. "That was some serious action! You could teach _Aang_ a thing or two."

Katara looked over at Aang.

"Aang, I'm sorry. It's just you were so good without even trying. I was jealous."

"It's okay."

"Besides, who needs that dumb scroll anyway?"

"Is that _really_ how you feel?" asked Sokka, who held up the scroll.

**Yes, my character not only saved the team from the crime of petty theft, she was also the hero of this chapter. I just thought she needed more spotlight time. Okay, maybe I'm being a little vain, but it's fanfiction so everyone has to forgive me. And you have to admit it was pretty awesome. Please Review.**


	8. Jet

Helping Hand

**Ah yes, once more dear friends, once more. Sorry, I have no idea why I said that. I've been indoors too long. Anyway. New chapter is up now. Of course I am looking forward to the chapter right after this more, but...Well, you know the drill. Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender and blah...blah...blah.**

Jet

"Where's Momo?" asked Aang. As if in answer to his question, the sound of frantic screeching was heard. They followed the sound until they reached a small clearing where, up in the trees, were three Fire Nation traps, one of which had Momo. After releasing the little guy, Aang decided to free the other two animals as well.

"These are Fire Nation traps, you can tell from the metalwork." Sokka pointed out. "We'd better pack up camp and keep moving."

* * *

After they had finished packing, they started to load the gear up on Appa. That is, of course, until Sokka stopped them.

"Uh, no flying this time."

"Why wouldn't we fly?" asked Aang.

"Think about it. Somehow Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us. It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable."

"Appa's not too noticeable." Katara protested.

"He's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head. It's kinda hard to miss him."

Appa groaned, as if to argue with him.

"Sokka's just jealous because he doesn't have an arrow." Aang reassured the creature.

"Look, I know you all want to fly, but my instincts are telling me that we should play it safe and walk."

"Who made you the boss?" asked Katara.

"I'm not the boss, I'm the leader."

"Pfft, you're the leader? But your voice still cracks."

"I'm the _oldest, and I'm a warrior! _So I'm the leader."

"Actually you aren't the oldest, Liu is. Not to mention she has more warrior training than you do."

"Hey, where did Liu go?" Aang asked.

They looked around and found her, seemingly asleep under a tree. She had been wide awake a few minutes ago.

"Hey Liu! It's time to go!" Aang yelled, but she didn't stir.

"Is she alright?" Katara asked, concerned.

Liu was perfectly fine, but she wasn't exactly asleep. Somewhere in the Spirit World, she was sipping tea with her Spirit Guide.

_"Your adventures so far sound fascinating, Liu. But shouldn't you be getting back to Earth now?"_

_"Oh, you're right. Thanks again for the tea."_

_"My pleasure. Oh, Liu, one more thing. Make sure you tell the others that you should walk today, instead of flying. And don't trust strange boys."_

_"I'll keep that in mind."_

Liu's eyes snapped open.

"Oh, Liu, you're okay." Katara said, relieved.

"Hey guys, I think we should avoid flying today."

"See. Liu knows what I'm talking about." Sokka said smugly.

"Are you sure, Liu?"

"Positive, Katara."

"Who knows," said Aang, "walking might be fun."

* * *

"Walking stinks! How do people go _anywhere_ without a flying bison?"

"Oh I don't know, Aang. Why don't you ask Sokka's instincts? They seem to know _everything_."

"Ha-ha, very funny." Sokka replied sarcastically.

"Hey, come on guys." Liu interjected. "Instincts are useful tools for survival. And I've walked much farther distances than we're going. If you two are so easily worn out, maybe I should get Boomer and Gio to transform to their full sizes and you guys can ride them."

"Look guys, I'm tired too." Sokka continued. "But the important thing is that we're safe from the...Fire...Nation.." Sokka realized, too late, that he had led them straight into a Fire Nation camp, filled with soldiers.

"Run!" Sokka shouted. However, one of the Firebenders blocked their escape by a wall of flames. "We're cut off!"

"Sokka! Your shirt!" Aang pointed to the flame on Sokka's sleeve. Luckily, Katara extinguished it, using the water in her pouch.

As the leader of the camp approached them, Sokka tried to intimidate him.

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you."

"What are you doing?" Katara whispered.

"Bluffing."

"_You_, promise not to hurt _us_?" the man questioned, only to be knocked out a second later.

"Nice work, Sokka." Said Aang. "How'd you do that?"

"Uh...instinct?"

* * *

"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed." Said Aang.

"Army?" Sokka replied. "There were only like, twenty guys."

_This must be what he warned me about_ thought Liu _I'll have to keep an eye on this one. Pfft, showoff._

"My name is Jet. And these are my Freedom Fighters."

Liu didn't trust Jet at all. And it wasn't just because of what her Spirit Guide had said. It was because of what she had seen him do, the way he fought, as though it was all just a game to him. She knew that boys could be cocky, she knew her three cousins would talk about fighting the Fire Nation in such a way, but they always handled their responsibilities with caution and strict attention to discipline. But this boy, he was something else. And not in a good way.

* * *

Liu's suspicions only grew at the little victory feast that was held that night at the Freedom Fighter's tree-top hideout.

"So, Liu? I noticed you don't say much." he asked.

"What should I say?" She answered with a slight edge. "That we are _oh so thankful that you saved us from the big bad Fire Nation troops_? We could've taken them no problem."

"Liu?" Katara said with irritation. "What's gotten into you?"

Liu looked at Jet, who got a little unnerved by her glare.

"Let's just say I _don't_ trust strange boys."

After that, Jet returned to talking to Aang and Katara. Liu sat next to Sokka.

"Don't let your guard down." she whispered. "There's something off about that guy. When you go on that mission with him tomorrow, keep your eyes open for anything unusual."

"Will do. I don't trust him either. But, why don't _you_ trust him? I would have thought you would side with Katara and be busy making goo-goo eyes at him."

"Nah. Firstly, he's not my type. Secondly, there's something about him that seems suspicious. And thirdly, I got a warning from my Spirit Guide."

"That pretty much cinches it."

* * *

"Hey Sokka. Is Jet back?" Asked Katara.

"Yeah, he's back. But we're leaving."

"What?" Exclaimed Aang.

"But I made him this hat." Katara said, holding up a ridiculous looking object made up of leaves and flowers.

Liu then came in.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Katara's boyfriend Jet, is a thug." Said Sokka.

"What?" Katara exclaimed. "No he's not."

"He beat and robbed a harmless old man."

Liu's eyes narrowed.

"I want to hear Jet's side of the story." Katara protested.

* * *

"Sokka. You told them what happened but you forgot to mention the guy was Fire Nation?"

"No, he _conveniently_ left _that_ part out." Answered Katara.

"Fine, but even if he was Fire Nation, he was a harmless civilian."

"He was an assassin, Sokka!" Jet declared, jamming a dagger down in front of him. "See? There's a compartment for poison. He was sent to eliminate me. You saved my life, Sokka."

"See? I knew there was an explanation." Katara said happily.

"I didn't see any knife."

"That's because he was _concealing _it."

"See Sokka?" Katara said. "I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife."

"There _was_ no _knife_! I'm going back to the hut, and packing my things."

Liu eyed the knife. _I'd know that design anywhere. It's an Earth Kingdom issued, spy-class standard, pseudo-Fire Nation dagger. Jet must have swiped it off someone. And either he's too dumb to realize it, or he's faking and hope's we're the stupid ones, remains to be seen._

* * *

That night, in the nearby Earth Kingdom village, an old man in Fire Nation clothes was sneaking into a house.

"You're late, Cheng."

"My apologies, Colonel Mene, but I ran into some trouble with Earth Kingdom rebels. They actually thought I was a real Fire Nation civilian."

"And they attacked you anyway? What have our people stooped to?"

"Never mind. I have the message from General Guo. It is _vital_ that this reach its destination, or it could mean another Fire Nation victory."

"Understood, and thank you Cheng. I know how dangerous this is for you. As long as nothing happens tomorrow, this will lead to a tremendous blow against the Fire Nation."

* * *

"Sokka?"

"Hey Liu."

"I believe you. That dagger is not Fire Nation, it's a weapon used only by Earth Kingdom spies."

"Well, try telling Katara that. She still won't believe me, and she and Aang aren't coming."

"Sokka, I'm getting this weird feeling. We need to keep our wits about us."

* * *

Later, Sokka and Liu were awoken by strange noises. They looked outside to see some of the Freedom Fighters leaving. Quietly, they followed. Jet and the others were carting barrels of blasting jelly over to a clearing that overlooked the reservoir. It was then that Jet divulged his plan to destroy the village in order to kill the Fire Nation troops who resided there. Liu and Sokka both stared in horror, when they suddenly found themselves captured.

"Sokka. Liu. I'm glad you decided to join us." Said Jet.

"We heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town." Sokka responded.

"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation."

"You're insane!" Liu declared. "You should be arrested for treason against the Earth Kingdom!"

"There are people living there, Jet. Mothers and fathers and children." Sokka continued.

"We can't win this war without making some sacrifices." Jet replied.

"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire."

"Because they don't understand the demands of war. Not like you and I do."

"If you do this you'll be just as bad as the Fire Nation soldiers." Liu said. "You're willing to do whatever it takes, even if innocent people get hurt as a result, just to get back at a few bad guys."

"And it's clear that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want." Sokka finished.

"I was hoping you two would have open minds...but, I can see you both have made your choices. I can't have you two warn Katara and Aang. Take them for a walk," Jet ordered, "a _long walk_."

"You can't do this!"

"Cheer up guys, we're going to win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."

* * *

"Come on! Move along!" Smellerbee shouted at the two as she pushed them.

"How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?" Sokka asked.

"Can't you guys see how wrong this is?" Liu added.

Pipsqueak then spoke up.

"Hey, listen you two, Jet's a great leader. We follow what he says, and things always turn out okay."

Sokka and Liu then noticed some more of the traps they saw earlier. They gave each other knowing glances.

"If that's how Jet leads," Sokka started, "then he's got a lot to learn." Sokka and Liu bolted away from their captors, breaking their hands free of the binds, and ran in the direction of the traps but being careful to avoid them, unlike Pipsqueak and Smellerbee.

"While you two are up there you might want to practice your knot-work."

Liu then noticed two familiar creatures.

"Hey Sokka. I know how we can warn the village in time."

The two Kanga-dogs approached.

"Boomer. Gio. Gāi zǒu le."

With that, they transformed. Liu and Sokka each got on one of the two animals.

"Are these things safe?"

Liu rolled her eyes.

"Hyah!"

* * *

"This was victory today, Katara. The Fire Nation is gone and this valley will be safe."

"It _will_ be safe." Sokka declared as he and Liu appeared on Appa.

"That is, it will be safe _without you_." Liu added.

"Sokka! Liu!" Katara declared.

"We warned the villagers of your plan, just in time." Sokka told Jet.

"What?"

"At first they didn't believe us." Liu explained. "The Fire Nation soldiers assumed we were spies. But one man vouched for us..."

"The old man you attacked." Sokka finished.

"He urged them to trust us. And we got everyone out in time."

"You _fools_! We could have freed this valley!" Jet shouted.

"Who would be free?" Asked Sokka. "Everyone would be dead."

"You _traitors_!"

"No Jet," Liu concluded, "you're the traitor because of your willingness to hurt innocent people to quench your own thirst for vengeance. You betrayed the Earth Kingdom by threatening its citizens. And worst of all, you betrayed yourself; you became convinced that you were justified in attacking harmless people, and that makes you no better than the Fire Nation troops you hate."

Seeking one more attempt at an ally, Jet turned to Katara. But she just walked away, leaving him frozen to the tree.

* * *

"Well guys," said Liu, "what do you have to say to Sokka?"

"We're sorry we didn't believe you. We were wrong." Katara said.

"Hey Sokka?" Aang asked. "Why did you go to the town, we thought you were going to the dam?"

"Let me guess," Katara responded, "your instincts told you?"

"Hey, sometime they're right." Sokka stated.

"Um, Sokka, you know we're going the wrong way, right?" Aang pointed out.

"And, sometimes they're wrong."

**Yes, finished. The command that Liu gave to her Kanga-dogs, 'Gāi zǒu le', is Chinese for 'time to go'. The name I gave to the old Fire Nation man, who I made into an Earth Kingdom spy, 'Cheng' means 'accomplish', 'succeed', or 'sincere'. Fitting really. Also, the name for the made up general 'Guo' means 'Country'. I am really looking forward to some reviews. I hope you liked my little rewrite. See you all tomorrow.**


	9. The Great Divide

Helping Hand

**Yes, I'm back. The plot bunnies were rooting around in my head last night, making it super hard to get some sleep. But, here I am now. I've been looking forward to this chapter for some time. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Great Divide

"Okay, we got the grub if you guys got the...Hey what's going on?" Liu said, arms filled with the things that she and Aang had foraged.

"Yeah." Aang concurred. "Where's the campfire? And what happened to the tent?"

"Why don't you ask Miss Know-it-all Queen of the Twigs?" Asked Sokka.

"Oh yeah?" Katara shouted. "Well you're Mr. Lazy-bum, King of the...Tents." With that she threw a stick at Sokka. Liu and Aang chuckled at the sight.

"Come on guys," Liu said, "do have any idea how silly this is?"

"Yeah, harsh words won't solve problems," Aang pointed out, "action will. Why don't you just switch jobs?"

The two Water Tribe teens started mumbling, but followed his advice.

"See? Settling feuds and bringing peace."

"I guess, all in a day's work for the Avatar, huh?" Liu asked.

"Yep." Aang then noticed Appa and Momo fighting over a melon. Aang went over and air-sliced it into two parts, giving the larger half to Appa and the smaller one two Momo, much to the smaller creature's chagrin. "Come on Momo, that's fair. Appa's got _five_ stomachs."

Liu then noticed her own Kanga-dogs were fighting over a bone they found. So, following Aang's example, she took the bone and tossed it in the air and sliced it in half, giving one half to each Kanga-dog.

* * *

"There it is, guys." Said Aang. "The Great Divide."

"Wow." Said Katara. "I could just stare at it forever."

"Okay," Said Sokka, "I've seen enough."

Liu glared at him.

"Sokka, this canyon is an important landmark to the Earth Kingdom. It even holds a level of sacredness among the local farming populace. Show some respect."

"Yeah Sokka." Katara added. "How can you not be fascinated? This is the largest canyon in the entire world."

"Then I'm sure we'll be able to see it very clearly as we fly away." He replied.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by a young man.

"Hey! If you're looking for the canyon guide, I was here _first_!"

"Ooh, canyon guide?" Inquired Katara. "Sounds informative."

"He is." Liu responded. "I've been to the Great Divide before. You can't get through it without _his_ help."

"Exactly," the young man said, "and he's taking _my_ tribe across _next_."

Sokka, who had been making mocking gestures behind the man's back, then replied.

"Calm down. We know you're next."

"_You_ wouldn't be calm if the Fire Nation destroyed _your_ home and forced _you_ to flee! My whole tribe has to walk _thousands_ of miles to the capital city of Ba Sing Se!"

"You're a refugee." Katara pointed out.

"Tell be something I don't know."

All of a sudden, they saw a group of people making their way over.

"Is that your tribe?"

"It most _certainly_ is _not_. That's the _Zhang_ tribe, a bunch of low-life thieves. They've been the enemies of my tribe for a hundred years. Hey Zhangs! I'm saving a spot for my tribe so don't even think about stealing it!"

A rather hefty woman, clearly the tribal leader, approached the man.

"Where are the rest of the Gan-jin? Still tidying up their campsite?"

"Yes. But they sent me ahead of them to hold a spot."

"I didn't know the canyon guide took reservations."

"Ha, of course you didn't. That's the ignorance I'd expect from a messy Zhang, so unorganized and ill-prepared for a journey."

As the other Zhangs started to shout in protest, a loud rumbling was heard as a pile of rocks was Earthbended away. And who should emerge but the canyon guide.

"Sorry about the wait youngsters."

"Hey Xun." Liu greeted.

"Liu? Haven't seen _you_ in a while."

"How's the canyon guide life treating you?"

"It's been fine. Now who's ready to cross this canyon?"

"One of _them_ I think." Said Katara.

The Gan-jin man quickly stepped up.

"I was here first! My party's on their way!"

"I can't guide people who aren't here." The guide answered.

"Guess you guys will have to make the trip tomorrow." The Zhang leader replied.

"Wait! Here they come!" The man declared, pointing to a group of people in fancy clothing that was a sharp contrast to the rags and fur pelts that the Zhangs were wearing.

The Zhang leader turned to the canyon guide.

"You're not seriously going to cave in to these spoiled Gan-jins? I mean we're refugees too! And we've got sick people who need shelter."

"I...eh...well.."

The young man of the Gan-jin came forward.

"We've got old people who are weary from travel."

"Sick people get priority over old people."

An old man, the leader of the Gan-jin, then stepped into the dispute.

"Maybe you Zhangs wouldn't have so many sick people if you weren't such slobs."

"If you Gan-jins weren't so clean, maybe you wouldn't live to be so old."

As the two tribal leaders argued, the Gaang all turned to Aang.

"Well Aang," said Katara, "ready to put your peace-making skills to the test?"

"Uh..I don't know, a fight over chores is one thing. These people have been feuding for a hundred years."

"You mean, the same length of time as the war you have to end?" Liu asked.

Katara then confronted the two tribes.

"Everyone listen up! This is the Avatar! And if you give him a chance, I'm sure he can come up with a plan that will make everyone happy!"

All heads turned to the nervous little monk.

"Uh...you can share the Earthbender and travel together?"

"Absolutely not!" Declared the Gan-jin leader. "We'd rather be taken by the Fire Nation, than travel with _those_ stinking thieves!"

"We wouldn't travel with you pompous fools anyway." Replied the Zhang leader.

As the two started arguing again, Liu decided to step in.

"Alright, that's enough! It's obvious to everyone that you all have a deeply rooted quarrel. But your constant bickering is getting old! I understand that travelling together is not something you guys want to do, but we all have to do things we hate from time-to-time. And believe me, if the Fire Nation captures you, you don't even want to know the worst they could do. So shut your traps and listen up! You are all going down together, and with the Avatar's permission his sky-bison will carry your sick and elderly across! Does _that_ seem fair?"

The two tribal leaders nodded in consent.

* * *

"Liu, how did you do that?"

"Do what Aang?"

"Get those people to stop fighting."

"As a princess, I have been trained to stay strong in my own beliefs, but to also act as a mediator and hear both sides of a story. The key is to not let yourself get buffaloed, don't let people intimidate you and lead you over the edge of a cliff. So to speak."

"But you made it seem so easy, I don't know if I can do that."

"Just think about what you want to say, and choose your words carefully. But make your point loud. If you want to be a leader you have to focus on what the people need, and even if you're not sure about how to solve the problem you have to keep everyone organized. But never let yourself seem too proud, or you could end up alienating yourself from the people you want to help, and then they will be too afraid to come to you with their suggestions."

"Thanks Liu."

The canyon guide called for everyone's attention.

"Okay, here comes the bad news. No food allowed in the canyon. It attracts dangerous predators." Everyone started to get irritated. "Aw. You babies can go a day without food. Would you rather be hungry, or dead? Now, we're headin' down in ten minutes! All food better be in your gut, or in the garbage!"

Everyone tried to eat as quickly as they could. The Zhangs were wolfing down their food, while the Gan-jins were eating delicately albeit with some degree of haste.

* * *

"What _was_ that?" asked Aang.

"Canyon crawler." The injured guide answered. "And there's sure to be more."

"Your arms," Katara said, "they're broken."

"Without my arms, I got no Bending. In other words..."

"We're trapped in this canyon." Aang finished.

* * *

As Katara put the guide's arms into slings, Sokka spoke up.

"I thought the whole point of ditching our food was so we wouldn't have to deal with things like canyon crawlers."

"It's the Zhangs." The leader of the Gan-jins accused. "They took food down here, even though the guide told them not to."

"What?" The Zhang leader exclaimed. "If there's anyone who can't go without food for a day, it's you pampered Gan-jins."

"I hope you're happy. We're stuck in this canyon with no way out."

"Why don't you thank _yourself_. Food hider."

"Look," Aang interjected, "sticking together is the only way to-"

"I'm not walking another _step_ with the likes of them."

"Now _there's_ something we can agree on." The Gan-jin leader concluded.

Aang turned to the others.

"Any ideas?"

The guide had a terrified look on his face.

"No Bending. We've got to get out of this canyon. I won't die down here. I won't become part of the food chain."

The Gan-jin leader heard the guide's statement, and returned to pointing the finger of blame at the Zhangs.

"See? We're going to become part of the food-chain because of _you_."

"Sure, unjustly blame the Zhangs like you always do."

"Gladly."

By this point, Aang had had enough. He sent a blast of air at everyone and called for attention.

"Enough! I thought we could help you guys get along, but I guess that's not gonna happen." He the leapt up to the top of a long rock that divided two paths. "We should split up! Gan-jins on this side, and Zhangs on that side! We'll travel in two separate lines!"

The two tribal leaders nodded in agreement, once again.

As the two groups walked into their designated paths, Aang came down to talk to his friends.

"Sokka, you go with the Zhangs. And Katara, you go with the Gan-jins. See if you can find out why they hate each other so much."

Liu looked at her two little Kanga-dogs.

"And could you guys take my Kanga-dogs with you? I would feel better knowing that Boomer and Gio are near warm campfires tonight."

Boomer went with Sokka, and Gio went with Katara. Liu chose to stick with Aang.

* * *

That night, everyone gathered around their campfires.

At the Gan-jin camp, Katara realized that the Gan-jins had in fact brought food into the canyon.

"Would you care for some bread, Katara?" The Gan-jin leader asked.

"So it was you guys that had food?"

"Oh come now. You really don't think that tribe of thieves isn't smuggling food? Why should my people go hungry when the sneaky Zhangs are stuffing their faces?"

"Well, I guess it's okay if everyone's doing it."

Gio came over and sat down next to Katara. Giving off an air of restraint, though he was clearly hungry as well.

"Would your pet care for some food as well?"

"Well, he's not really mine. Gio belongs to Liu. But I'm sure he would appreciate being fed."

The man held out another small loaf of bread. Gio sniffed the offering, then daintily took it.

"Hah, even this animal has more manners than those filthy Zhangs."

"So, why does your tribe hate the Zhangs so much?"

"You seem like a smart girl, Katara. I bet you would enjoy hearing some history..."

Meanwhile, over at the Zhang camp, Sokka was sitting by the campfire with Boomer resting beside him.

"Care for some meat?" The Zhang leader asked.

"Would I!" Sokka exclaimed, but before he could take the offered food, Boomer jumped up and snatched it, and then proceeded to consume it ravenously.

"Hah, your dog-thing sure knows how to get what he wants. Don't worry there's plenty more. I know what you're thinking. We're horrible for endangering everyone by bringing food down here. The Gan-jin think so badly of us they probably assumed we brought food in and decided to bring food in themselves. That's why _we_ brought food in. Our conflict with the Gan-jin goes back over a hundred years..."

* * *

Not too far off, two young Airbenders watched the camps.

"Sure would be nice to be around one of those campfires." Aang thought aloud. "Telling stories and laughing."

"It sure would be, Aang." Liu responded. "Well, tomorrow's a new day isn't it?"

"It's lonely, isn't it?" The two looked over and saw the guide limping up to them. "Being impartial."

"Hey Xun, how are your arms doing?" Asked Liu.

"Not too good."

"I wish I could help these people get along," said Aang, "but it just seems impossible. Anyhow, I guess our biggest problem is getting out of here."

"I'm not so sure the two problems are unrelated." With that, Xun went to sleep.

Liu got a feeling that she should pay a visit to her Spirit Guide, at least she could get some Spirit Tea to fill the empty space in her stomach.

* * *

_"Liu, I was wondering when you were going to show up."_

_"I'm not sure what to do. There are these two feuding tribes and-"_

_"Yes, I know all about the Zhangs and the Gan-jins."_

_"So can you tell me why they hate each other?"_

_"No, but you already have a way of finding out."_

_"How?"_

_"Look to the past. I find that many problems can be solved by reading a good book."_

_Liu couldn't help but wonder, the whole dispute between the two tribes was somehow familiar. She just couldn't put a finger on what he was getting at._

* * *

"Great job, Aang." Liu said as she hugged the boy. "That was some pretty slick thinking with those canyon crawlers."

"It was nothing."

"I never thought a Gan-jin could get his hands dirty like that." The Zhang leader said.

"And I never knew you Zhangs were so reliable in a pinch." The Gan-jin leader replied.

"Perhaps we're not so different after all."

"It's pity we can't rewrite history. You thieves stole our Sacred Orb from Jin-Wei."

"You tyrants unjustly imprisoned Wei-Jin for twenty long years."

_Wait a minute_ Liu thought _I think I know what's going on here._

"Hold on, did you guys say Jin-Wei and Wei-Jin? I know of them."

"Yes yes, we all know the story." The Gan-jin leader replied.

"No, I mean I know what actually happened." Liu pulled out a little book from her satchel. "My grandparents, the King and Queen of Omashu, used to do a lot of travelling when they were younger. They are both over a hundred years old. This is the journal that my grandmother kept." Liu then began to read:

_"It is the 58th day of our travels. Bumi is still being his usual crazy self. Today, we met the twin brothers Jin-Wei and Wei-Jin. Their constant arguing is quite a headache. They seem to be the leaders of a tribe, but they have very different approaches to how they want to run the tribe and it has led to some rivalry. I hope we can find a way to help them resolve their differences._

_59th day of travel, and the two brothers are still at odds. In an attempt to stop the bickering, Bumi and I have devised a way to bring some degree of peace. I remembered a game that we used to play back at the Air Temples, and we improved upon that. Two gates were to be built, an Eastern gate and a Western gate. Bumi and I told the two brothers that if they ever felt like a decision was causing too much conflict between their supporters that they would play this new game. The rules were that whoever got the ball into the opposing gate first would be the winner, and therefore their idea would be chosen. The game will be called Redemption, because it will redeem the people of their conflict._

_61st day. Morning. The goals are all set up and the two brothers have decided to test the game. I hope this works, those two seem as though they'll find any excuse to make the other look bad. We've decided that the game will be held in private, only Bumi and myself will be present for the proceedings. _

_Evening. A disaster. Jin-Wei was about to reach the goal, when he tripped on a rock. Wei-Jin then took up the ball to continue the game. Jin-Wei somehow came under the impression that his brother had tripped him. We disregarded the protest as it was clear it had been the fault of a rock that the young man hadn't seen. Wei-Jin, was about to win the game, but he stepped out of the game's boundary, so we gave him a twenty minute penalty. The two brothers proceeded to blame each other for the incident, the people of the tribe all took sides and decided to separate. This was not what we had been hoping for. This game was supposed to bring peace, but those two chowder-heads just couldn't let themselves look bad, so they made the other one a scapegoat. I hope one day these two tribes will settle their differences and reunite. This whole feud is stupid and pointless."_

Liu then pulled another item from her bag. An old ball, with a large spiral on the side.

"I believe this 'Sacred Orb' belongs to you all."

* * *

"That's some luck that your grandparents knew Jin-Wei and Wei-Jin." Said Sokka.

"Luck has nothing to do with it." Liu responded. "The only luck that we have is the fact that you had me here to help sort out this problem. At least now those tribes have reunited. Grandma will be so happy when she finds out."

"Now where's that custard tart?" Aang asked. "I'm starving."

**Yep, I felt that the conflict of the two tribes could be answered in a much better way. The name I gave to the canyon guide, 'Xun', is Chinese for 'fast' or 'sudden'. And yes, the two Kanga-dogs do have conflicting personalities that I based on the real-life dogs, my dog Boomer is a total food-shark, and Gio is very well behaved as the lady who owns him is training him as a seeing-eye dog, she does that for a living. See you guys soon.**


	10. The Storm

Helping Hand

**Ah yes, back again for more. I know in this episode that Sokka goes to work on a fishing ship to earn some money, and in my story Liu has plenty of cash, well I have an explanation for how this will work. And once again, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Storm

"Ahh!" Aang shouted. Everyone woke up.

"Huh? What's going on? Did we get captured again?" Sokka asked.

"Nothing, go back to sleep."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

"Are you alright Aang?" Katara asked.

"I'm okay."

"You seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately."

"You wanna tell us about it?" Asked Liu.

"I think I just need some rest."

Sokka then sat up. "You guys wanna hear about my dream?"

The two girls gave him 'the look'.

"That's okay, I didn't wanna talk about it anyway."

"Aang," Liu said, "just remember that nightmares are just that. Nightmares. They aren't real."

"I know."

Liu looked at the boy with concern, she knew that something was troubling him. She knew she should give him his space for now, he'd tell her when he was ready.

* * *

"Look at those clear skies buddy." Aang said to Appa. "Should be some smooth flying."

"Well, we'd better smoothly fly ourselves to a market." Katara pointed out. "Cause we're out of food."

"Guys, wait." Said Sokka. "This was in my dream, we shouldn't go to the market."

"What happened in your dream?"

"Food _eats_ people."

Katara shook her head in vexation.

"Also, Momo could talk." He pointed to the creature. "You said some very unkind things."

Liu, however, pulled out a little blue book from her bag.

"Here it is, the Dream Dictionary. Okay Sokka, it says here that food-related dreams are often connected to a person's need for spiritual, intellectual, emotional, or physical nourishment. The fact that food was eating people could refer to some sort of feelings you have that your own needs are somehow becoming a threat to you and those around you. And it says here that talking animals represent inner wisdom, and the fact that Momo is familiar to you could represent your friends, so if Momo was insulting you it could be that you feel as though your friends don't respect you."

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"You got all that from book?" Sokka asked amazed, partly because he felt her answer rang pretty true.

"Well, some of it is just theoretical. Food also has connections with desire. So maybe you're worried that you'll never get a girlfriend?"

"I will too get a girlfriend!"

"Right, you keep telling yourself that."

* * *

"Ah..it's good! I'm telling you!" the vendor-lady shouted.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that swishing." Katara replied.

"Swishing means it's ripe! It's the ripe juices swishing around."

"She's right Katara," Liu responded, "swishing means it's ripe."

"I just remembered that I'm out of money."

"But I'm not."

"Liu, you shouldn't have to spend your money on us."

"Listen to your friend." The lady continued. "She just wants to help."

Liu didn't wait for Katara's response and handed the lady some money.

"Liu, I don't want you to keep paying for us."

"Well how else are we going to pay?" Sokka asked.

"You could get a job, smart guy."

Just then, they overheard an argument between an old fisherman and his wife.

"We shouldn't go out there." The woman said. "Please, the fish can wait. There's going to be a terrible storm."

"Ah, you're crazy." The man replied. "It's a nice day, no clouds, no wind, no nothin'. So quit your naggin', woman."

"Maybe, we should find some shelter." Aang suggested to the team.

"Are you kidding?" Asked Sokka. "Shelter from what?"

"My joints say there's going to be a storm!" The woman shouted. "A bad one."

"Well it's your joints against my brain." The man replied.

"I hope your brain can find someone _else_ to haul all that fish. Cause I ain't comin'!"

"Then I'll find a _new_ fish-hauler, and pay him _double_ what you get! How'd ya like _that_?"

"I'll go." Sokka volunteered.

"You're hired!"

The other all looked uneasy.

"What? You said get a job. And he's paying double."

"Double?" The man asked. "Who told you that nonsense?"

* * *

"Sokka," said Aang, as the older boy loaded stuff onto the fishing ship, "maybe this isn't such a good idea. Look at the sky."

"Yeah Sokka," Liu added, "I said I'm fine with paying for stuff. You don't have to do this."

"I said I was going to do this job." Sokka replied. "I can't back out just because of some bad weather."

"The boy with the tattoos has some sense!" The old woman shouted at her husband. "You should listen to him!" Then she left.

"Boy with tattoos?" The man said, puzzled. "Airbender tattoos. Well I'll be a hog-monkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't ya?"

"That's right." Katara answered for him.

"Well don't be so smiley about it. The Avatar disappeared for a _hundred years_! You turned your back on the world." The man pointed an accusing finger at Aang.

"How dare you say that!" Liu interceded. "Aang would never turn his back on _anyone_."

"Oh, he wouldn't, huh? Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering."

"Aang is the bravest person I know!" Katara shouted. "He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him. It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?"

But Aang was already backing away. Then he took off on his air-glider.

"That's right!" The old man shouted. "Keep flyin'!"

"You're a horrible old man."

Liu and Katara got on Appa, and set off to find Aang.

* * *

They found him in a cave in the mountainside.

"It's okay." Katara said. "That fisherman was way outta line."

"Actually, he wasn't." Aang replied.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

Liu walked over and hugged him in a sisterly fashion.

"Aang, we're family. You can tell me anything."

"Well, it's kind of a long story." Appa came in and nuzzled him.

"I'm going to try and get a little fire going." Katara said.

After the fire was built, Aang decided to tell them the story.

"I'll never forget the day the monks told me I was the Avatar..."

* * *

"How did my grandmother react when she found out?" Liu asked.

"Yin-Yin was living at the Western Air Temple at the time. I guess by the time the news reached her I was already gone."

_*Flashback_

_"Yin-Yin, you have a letter."_

_"Thank you Mother-Superior."_

_The little girl took the letter from the older woman's hand, and opened it._

_She gasped._

_"My little brother is the Avatar! I have go see him right away!"_

_*Scene Change_

_The eager girl rushed to the Southern Air Temple. Running past the curious glances she went straight for Aang's room._

_"Aang! It's me! I can't believe it! You're the Avatar!" _

_She looked inside but no one was there._

_"Aang?"_

_She felt a hand on her shoulder._

_"Monk Gyatso? Where's...?"_

_"Yin-Yin, there is something I have to tell you."_

_She could already feel the tears starting to fall._

_*Scene Change_

_"Bumi!"_

_"Yin-Yin? You're here? You came all the way here to see me?" The boy asked, blushing._

_"Aang's gone. He took Appa and disappeared shortly after the monks told him he's the Avatar."_

_"Well as long as they have each other, I'm sure-"_

_"Bumi! This is no time for your cryptic craziness! We have to find Aang!"_

_The boy put a comforting hand on her shoulder._

_"Hey, it's okay. We'll find the little cue-ball."_

_"Thanks Bumi. I knew I could count on you."_

_The two children hugged._

_*End Flashback_

* * *

"Help! Oh please help!"

It was the old woman from before.

Katara ran over to her.

"It's okay, you're safe."

"But my husband isn't."

"What do you mean? Where's Sokka?"

"They haven't returned, they should've been back by now. And this storm is becoming a typhoon. They're lost out at sea."

"I'm going to find them." Said Aang.

"I'm going with you." Said Katara.

"Me too." Added Liu.

"I'm staying _here_." Said the old woman.

* * *

"Oh, you're alive." The old woman said with relief, as she hugged her husband. "You owe this boy an apology."

"He doesn't have to apologize." Aang stated.

"What if, instead of an apology...I give him a free fish and we'll call it even?" The man asked.

"Actually, I don't eat meat."

"Fish ain't meat."

"Seriously," said Sokka, "you're still gonna pay me, right?"

With that, the man tossed him a fish.

Aang went over to Katara and Liu and told them that he was done dwelling on the past.

"I don't think you're going to have those nightmares anymore." Said Katara.

"But if you do, you can always come to us. I can even interpret them for you if you want." Liu said.

The old man came over to Aang.

"If you weren't here now...Well I guess I wouldn't be either. Thank you for savin' my life, Avatar."

"Do you hear that?" Asked Sokka. "It stopped raining."

Everyone went to stand outside, to see the light breaking through the clouds. A heavenly sight.

Of course the serenity of the moment was ruined when Appa decided to shake himself dry right next to everyone.

**Finally, it's done. Those dream interpretations that Liu gave were my own analysis based on the information Sokka gave about his dream compared to a real book I have about dream symbols. I thought this chapter would be a good opportunity to include a flashback regarding Aang's sister in the story. I hope you guys liked it. Please review, I just want to know people's opinions on my story.**


	11. The Blue Spirit

Helping Hand

**Okay, this chapter is going to be very short as it is mostly about Aang and Zuko. So Liu isn't going to feature as much, but she'll still be there. She'll be looking after the two sickies. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Blue Spirit

The Gaang had recently taken up lodging at the old, abandoned Earth Kingdom city of Taku. Ever since the storm, Sokka's health had been going downhill.

"This should bring your fever down." Katara said to Sokka as she placed a moistened cloth on his forehead.

"You know what I love about Appa the most? His sense of humor."

"That's nice. I'll tell him."

Appa made a loud groaning noise.

Sokka giggled. "Classic Appa."

"How's Sokka doing?" Aang asked.

"Not so good. Being out in that storm really did a number on him."

Liu noticed how bad the poor Water Tribe boy looked and rustled around in her bag.

"When I was about seven, I had a really awful case of Pneumonia. The doctors proscribed me some medicine, but I wouldn't take it. I thought it tasted awful. My mom stayed in the room with me for hours before I finally cooperated. Unfortunately, she was in there with me for so long that she contracted a nasty fever herself. She woke in the middle of the night to it. She actually came very close to dying, but somehow she managed to get to her medicine cabinet and grabbed a bottle of these." She held up a jar full of chips of bark. "White Willow bark. It brought her fever down and she was only partially unwell the next morning. She told me to always keep some handy."

Liu took a little chip and told Sokka to chew on it.

"Unfortunately, it can only do so much. We need an herbalism expert to find out how to cure him completely."

"Well, we're in luck." Said Aang. "I found a map that shows an herbalist institute not far from here."

"Guys, he's in no condition to travel." Katara pointed out. "Sokka just needs more rest. I'm sure he'll be better by tomorrow."

Suddenly, she started coughing too.

"Not you too."

"Relax, it was just a little cough. I'm fi-" She was cut off by her own coughs.

"That's how Sokka started yesterday."

"And now look at him." Liu added. "He thinks he's an Earthbender."

"Take _that_ you..._rock_." Said the delusional Sokka.

"A few more hours and you'll be talking nonsense too." Aang concluded. "I'm going to find some medicine."

"I'll stay here and look after them." Liu said.

Aang was about to launch himself into the sky on his glider, but after seeing the lightning storm decided to walk.

* * *

Liu decided to pass the time with a visit to her Spirit Guide.

"If you guys need anything, just shout 'Huílái', and I'll help you as best I can."

Liu sat and meditated.

_"Ah, Liu. Do you need some Spirit Wisdom, or is this a social visit?"_

_"Well we did have a problem, but Aang is taking care of it. So are you up for a game of Pai Sho?"_

_"An excellent idea."_

_The two sat and played for a while. But it was apparent that Liu was greatly outmatched._

_"Excellent. I take the lot. But you are improving. I am certain you will win if we play again."_

_Liu noticed the crafty look on his face. He was such a hustler. _

_Liu then heard the faint sound of someone calling._

_"I'll be back in a bit. I have some patients to attend to."_

* * *

"Liu. Please. We need some water."

"No problem Katara. Any sight of Aang yet?"

"No. I don't know what's taking him so long."

"You guys just get some rest. I'll be right back."

Liu really hated seeing her friends so sick. She brought back the water, and some extra, just in case.

* * *

"Hey guys, I learned a little about home cures. And some are pretty simple."

"We'll try anything."

After giving the two invalids a drink, Liu set a pot of water on to boil. She took a little more water and moistened two pairs of cotton socks. Liu decided to use new ones rather than face the prospect of Sokka's funky smelling old ones.

"Okay," Liu said a she took off her friends' shoes and set their feet in basins that she had found and filled with the heated water, "you're going to soak your feet for about ten minutes."

After the designated time was up, Liu removed their feet from the foot baths. She then placed the damp socks on their feet, then covered them up with dry wool socks.

"This will draw the congestion out. I learned this little trick in my study of natural healing."

Although both of their conditions improved drastically, Sokka continued to spout nonsense.

* * *

Liu decided to take a little walk. As she went along, she noticed a bunch of men in Fire Nation uniforms leading a figure in bright orange and yellow clothes to a huge fortress. Aang. Liu suddenly felt an overpowering sensation. A spirit was trying to channel through her. She felt an urge to write something. She quickly withdrew a piece of paper, a brush, and some ink from her bag.

She wrote:

_The Avatar has been captured by Zhao. You must rescue him. If you do not, you will never regain your honor. _

_A friend._

Heading to a cliff that overlooked the bay, she took her bow and an arrow that she then attached the letter to. The spirit guided her hand in the direction of the one ship that happened to be owned by a certain Fire Nation prince, and fired.

Liu sensed that whichever spirit had overshadowed her clearly knew what they were doing, so she headed straight back to the others.

**I'm sure you all can guess what happens next if you've seen the show. I know the home cure stuff seems random but I really am into that stuff. The 'wet-sock treatment' is a genuine cure, and White Willow bark is a form of natural aspirin. Also, that story that Liu told is one from my own childhood. The name of the abandoned city is its actual name according to the Avatar Wiki. Also, the phrase that Liu told Katara and Sokka to say to get her to come out of the Spirit World is Chinese for 'Come Back'. I know I leave the story at somewhat of a cliff-hanger, but we all know what happens, right? I don't feel I needed to go into too much detail. See ya later.**


	12. The Fortuneteller

Helping Hand

**Hey hey, sorry if you all felt that last chapter was too short or not exciting enough. My character just has a very nurturing personality, that's why she stayed behind to look after Katara and Sokka. This chapter will be good, I'm sure. Warning: I do not approve of Kataang, and neither does Liu so she will 'sink the ship' at every opportunity. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. (P.S. Has anyone ever noticed that the fish that taunts Sokka at the beginning of the episode looks a lot like the guy who tells the Gaang about Aunt Wu?).**

The Fortuneteller

"Look!" Katara exclaimed, pointing at a large fish that was leaping around in the water.

"Oh, he is taunting us!" Sokka shouted in vexation. "You are so gonna be dinner." As he grabbed his fishing pole he realized that the line was missing. "Hey, where's the fishing line?"

"Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka." Aang said, holding up a woven necklace made from said fishing line.

"Ah, it's all tangled."

"Not tangled. _Woven_. I made you a necklace Katara. I thought, since you lost your other one..."

"Thanks Aang, I love it." Katara said as she took the gift appreciatively.

Liu wanted to gag. It was plainly obvious that Aang had a crush on Katara, and Liu wasn't sure why but the whole notion disturbed her. She just thought Katara mommied Aang all the time, so it was kinda creepy. Liu also thought that they weren't really right for each other. Aang needed someone who was tough and not about to treat him like her son. Katara needed someone older than her, a person with at least some maturity who had as strong a will as her, an equal.

"Great Aang." Sokka continued. "Maybe instead of saving the world you can go into the jewelry-making business."

"I don't see why I can't do both."

At the sound of splashing, Sokka returned his attention to the fish.

"So, how do I look?" Katara asked.

Aang instantly got nervous.

"You mean all of you, or just your neck? I mean both look great."

Sokka, who now held the fish in his arms, looked up.

"Smoochie smoochie. Someone's in _love_." The fish then wriggled out of his grasp and slapped him with its tail.

"I...well..."

"Stop teasing him, Sokka." Katara said.

"Yeah, Sokka." Liu interrupted. "Kindly never suggest that again. It disturbs me on a level beyond human comprehension."

Suddenly, they heard a loud growling noise, it sounded like a platypus-bear.

* * *

"Lucky for you we came along." Sokka said to the man.

"Thanks. But everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I would have a safe journey."

"Aunt who?" Aang asked.

"No, Aunt _Wu_. She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future."

"Wow," said Katara, "it must be. That explains why you were so calm."

"But the fortuneteller was _wrong_." Sokka pointed out. "You didn't have a safe journey, you were almost _killed_."

"But I wasn't. Alright, have a good one." He started to walk off, but then stopped. "Oh, and Aunt Wu said that if I met any travelers, to give them this." The man handed a long parcel to Aang, then continued on his way.

"Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and get our fortunes. It could be fun." Katara suggested.

"Oh come on, fortunetelling is nonsense." Sokka replied.

Aang unwrapped the package.

"What do 'ya know, an umbrella."

It instantly began to rain. Aang, Liu, and Katara all took shelter underneath the umbrella, but Sokka stayed where he was, holding the egg that the platypus-bear had left behind after its failed attack above his head in an attempt to stay dry.

"That proves it." Said Katara.

"No it doesn't," Sokka protested, "you can't _really_ tell the future."

"I guess you're not _really_ getting wet then."

At that moment, the platypus-bear egg slipped out of Sokka's hands and landed on his head.

Liu chuckled, in her strange little giggle-squeak laugh.

"I'm sorry Sokka, but that was _too_ funny. About that fortuneteller. I sort of agree with Sokka on this. My dad never really trusted people who _claimed_ that they could tell the future, he said they were most likely con-artists. But I do admit that there are some things that you can't really explain. It's like the old saying goes: 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy'."

"Liu, I can't believe you're buying into that nonsense." Sokka replied.

"I never said I was, I prefer to think of myself as an enlightened skeptic. I mean, being a Spirit Well, nothing supernatural can really surprise me."

"So, should we go see Aunt Wu?" Asked Aang.

"Well, okay. But only out of curiosity."

* * *

"My name is Meng, and I'm Aunt Wu's assistant." Said the little girl who greeted them as they entered the establishment. When the girl saw Aang, she got a dreamy look on her face. "Well hello there."

"Hello." Aang replied, totally uninterested.

"Can I get you all some tea, or some of Aunt Wu's special bean-curd puffs?"

"I'll try a curd puff." Sokka answered.

"Just a second." Meng then addressed Aang. "So what's your name?"

"Aang."

"That rhymes with Meng! And you've got some pretty big ears, don't you."

"I guess."

"Don't be modest," Sokka commented, "they're huge."

"Well Aang, it's very nice to meet you. _Very_ nice."

"Likewise."

* * *

Liu realized that that girl, Meng, obviously had a crush on Aang, Liu found it somewhat cute, but soon thought it didn't quite work. Eventually, the lady known as Aunt Wu emerged.

"Welcome young travelers. Now who's next? Don't be shy."

Liu decided to volunteer.

Aunt Wu escorted her to the back room.

"Just to let you know, I'm still a little skeptical."

"That is understood, I can see that you have a deep connection with the Spirit World, but you still have a firm belief in free-will. Now, let me see your palm."

Liu held up her hand.

"Ah yes, a nice long life-line. What's this? A handsome young Earthbender for a husband."

Liu blushed, and her thoughts went to a cute Earthbender she had helped free from a Fire Nation prison. But she pushed the thoughts away, just because Aunt Wu said her husband would be an Earthbender didn't necessarily mean it was _that_ specific one.

"Mmhm, five lovely children. Two of whom will be Airbenders like you. Ah, yes, you will also play a major part in helping your friends find the ones they are meant to be with. You have a clear insight into people's personalities and can read them as well as I read your palm. Stay strong in your opinions, as they will be helpful."

"Thank you Aunt Wu."

* * *

Liu went back out to sit with the others. When Katara went in, Liu noticed Aang was clearly trying to go and listen in on her meeting with Aunt Wu by creating a phony excuse to use the bathroom.

"I think the bathroom is _that_ way."

"Liu I..."

"You do realize that listening to other people's fortunes without their consent is rude, don't you?"

"I just wanted to...never mind." Aang and Liu went back to sit with Sokka again.

* * *

"Well, now you got to see for yourselves that fortunetelling is just a big, stupid hoax." Sokka declared.

"You're just saying that because you're going to make yourself unhappy your whole life." Katara retorted.

"That woman is _crazy_! My life will be _calm_, and _happy_, and _joyful_!" As he shouted, he kicked a stone that hit a shop sign and came back to hit him on the head. "Ow! That _doesn't_ prove _anything_."

"Well I liked my predictions. Certain things are going to turn out _very_ well."

"They sure are." Aang said with a grin.

"Why? What did she tell _you_?"

"Some stuff. You'll find out."

"How about you, Liu?"

"I'm going to marry an Earthbender and have five kids. Two of them will be Airbenders." She answered.

"Wow, that's great!"

"Yeah, maybe I can teach them how to make air-scooters." Aang suggested.

"That would be nice, you still have to teach _me_ that move first."

The Gaang soon noticed that a large crowd had gathered in the town square. Everyone was staring up at the clouds.

"What's with the sky?" Asked Katara.

The man they had seen earlier answered her question.

"We're waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds, to predict the fate of the whole village."

"That cloud kinda looks like a fluffy bunny." Aang pointed out.

"You better hope that's not a bunny. The fluffy bunny cloud predicts doom and destruction."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Sokka inquired.

A woman from the crowd continued the explanation of the cloud reading.

"The cloud reading will tell us if Mount Makapu will remain dormant for another year, or if it will erupt."

"We used to have a tradition, once a year, of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves. But, ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village, twenty years ago, we have a tradition of _not_ doing that."

"I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy old woman's superstition." Sokka declared. Katara shushed him as Aunt Wu approached.

* * *

As Aang and Sokka went around talking to people, as part of Sokka's plan to convince everyone that fortunetelling is a sham, Liu summoned her Spirit Guide.

_"Hello Liu, do you have a problem?"_

"Well sorta. Everyone in this village is putting their trust in a fortuneteller. The woman seems to be the real deal, but something feels ominous. Like she got her prediction wrong about the volcano."

_"Well Liu, I'm sure you know as well as anyone that the spirits send their messages in cunning ways."_

"I know that. But I also know the future isn't set in stone. Do you have any advice to give me?"

The spirit looked up at the volcano.

_"It's a lovely day to go pick flowers. I hear that the Panda-lily is a very beautiful plant, and it only grows near the mouth of a volcano."_

"Thanks." She replied, unsure.

* * *

"Why are we going all the way up the mountain for a stupid flower?" Asked Sokka.

"My Spirit Guide told me to."

"I think it's a good idea, Liu." Aang said. "I think I might just get one of those Panda-lilies for someone I know."

Liu rolled her eyes, she knew there was more to this than just a pleasant little jaunt to pick flowers. Her suspicions were confirmed when they reached the rim of the volcano. It would erupt in only a matter of hours.

"Oh no," Aang said, "Aunt Wu was wrong."

* * *

They finally managed to convince the villagers of the imminent danger, thanks to them 'borrowing' Aunt Wu's cloud reading book and with Aang, Liu, and Katara Bending the clouds into the shape that predicted impending doom. Aang and Sokka got everyone organized, and they managed to dig a trench. Soon the lava was starting to flow downhill. After Aang ordered the townspeople to evacuate, he and the Gaang waited by the edge of the trench. It soon became clear that the lava was going to overflow. As Sokka and Katara started to run, they turned around to see Aang and Liu still standing there. Together, the two Airbenders started Bending the air around them to hold back the lava and harden it.

"Man, sometimes I forget what powerful Benders those two are." Said Sokka.

"Wait, what did you just say?" Asked Katara.

"Nothing. Just that Aang and Liu are two very powerful Benders."

"Oh. I guess they are."

* * *

"By the way," Aang said to Aunt Wu, "we kinda 'borrowed' your book."

"So you messed with the clouds, did you?" She then laughed. "Very clever."

"No offense," said Sokka, "but I hope this has taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortunetelling."

The man from earlier, once again spoke up.

"But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed, and it wasn't. She was right after all."

"I hate you."

**Finally, it's done. It took me forever to figure out how to rewrite this. I'm sorry to any Kataang fans, but that ship just feels so wrong to me. Please respect my opinion, and I will respect yours. I don't want any harsh words just because I don't support Kataang, I'm proud to be a non-conformist. And **_**please**_**, I want some reviews. I think I have some kind of insecurity complex. Also, that line about "More things in Heaven and Earth" is taken from William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.**


	13. Bato of the Water Tribe

Helping Hand

**Okay, I've been looking forward to this chapter for a while now. In this we learn a big thing about Liu, well technically we already learned it if you re-read the Omashu chapter, but the Gaang doesn't know about it yet. Anyhow, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, but I **_**am **_**re-watching the entire series as I write this story. Thank goodness my mom bought me all three seasons on DVD. I am such a dork. Plus, a serious plot-bunny.**

Bato of the Water Tribe

"Did someone lose something?" Katara asked as she and Liu approached the two boys who were digging around in the bushes.

"No, we found something!" Aang declared.

Sokka then noticed an arrow under some leaves, he examined it.

"It's burned." He then saw some markings on a tree. "There was a battle. Water Tribe warriors ambushed a group of Firebenders. The Firebenders fought back, but the warriors drove them down this hill." Sokka led the group down the hill, stopping when he arrived at a beach.

"So then what happened?" Aang asked.

"I don't know. The trail ends here."

Katara then spotted something.

"Wait! Look!"

"It's one of our boats!"

The two Water Tribe teens rushed over to the vessel excitedly.

"Is this...dad's boat?" Asked Katara.

"No. But it's from his fleet. Dad was here."

* * *

That night, they made camp beside the boat. Everyone was asleep, except for a certain Water Tribe boy with a fondness for meat and sarcasm. Sokka was wide awake, remembering the day his father left. Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound.

"Who's there?"

Out of the shadows, a figure emerged. A figure that looked very familiar.

"Sokka?"

"Bato?"

"Who the what now?" Asked a very sleepy Avatar who was waking up at Sokka's outburst along with the others.

"Bato." Katara repeated.

"Sokka. Katara."

The two aforementioned people went up to hug their friend.

"It is so good to see you two. You've grown so much."

Aang and Liu approached, and bowed with respect.

"Hi, I'm Aang."

"And I'm Liu."

"Where's dad?" Asked Sokka.

"Is he here?" Katara added.

"No, he and the other warriors should be in the Eastern Earth Kingdom by now."

Just then a cold wind blew, making everyone shiver.

"This is no place for a reunion. Let's get inside."

Bato lead them all to wherever 'inside' was.

* * *

"Bato, it looks like home!" Exclaimed Katara.

"Everything's here. Even the pelts." Sokka added.

"Yeah. Nothing's cozier than dead animal skins." Aang said with a note of irony.

Boomer and Gio quickly seated themselves by the fire and were fast asleep in minutes. Liu herself had a fondness for Water Tribe decoration, something she must have gotten from her mother's side.

"No way." Said a disbelieving Katara. "Stewed Sea-prunes?"

"Help yourself." Said Bato.

"Dad could eat a whole barrel of these things." Said Sokka.

Liu then remembered back a few minutes ago, to when Bato introduced Katara and Sokka to the Mother-Superior of the Abbey. _Did he say they were 'Hakoda's' children?_

"Bato?" Asked Liu. "What did you say Katara and Sokka's father's name is?"

"Hakoda."

"Not Hakoda, son of Kanna, of the Southern Water Tribe?"

"Well yes. Why do ask?"

Liu became solemn.

"He's my uncle."

Everyone stared at her. Mouths agape.

"What are you talking about, Liu?" Sokka questioned.

"Do you guys remember? Back in Omashu, when you met my mother? Right after I introduced you all, my mother wanted a word with me in private. She said that I should give this bracelet to her brother Hakoda, as per an agreement from years ago, or if I met anyone who would see him I should ask them to give it to him."

"Wait, is your mother's name Manna?" Bato asked.

"Yes."

"Then it's true. Katara, Sokka, this girl is your cousin. The daughter of Hakoda's twin sister."

Katara and Sokka looked at the girl who they had simply thought of as a friend, and as Aang's grand-niece, and saw her in a whole new light. The long lost relatives hugged each other as tight as they could. No one noticed the little bald monk who was sitting off in a corner, watching the reunion between his friends and the person who it seemed he only just learned was his own relative.

"Hakoda will be delighted to learn that his sister is alive and well, and that she has such a grown-up daughter." Bato said.

"Liu, why didn't you mention this sooner?" Asked Katara.

"Let me guess." Said Sokka. "We didn't ask?"

"Well, you didn't. But I had no idea that your father was my uncle until I heard the name."

"But, why wouldn't your mother bring this up? When we were in Omashu she didn't say a word." Katara pointed out.

"I think I can answer that." Said Bato. "Before Manna left the Tribe, she and Hakoda had a falling out. Even, your grandmother got involved in the dispute. Manna said that she couldn't stay in the Tribe because their heritage was of the North. Katara, Sokka, your grandmother was born in the Northern Tribe."

The two were shocked, but Liu wasn't.

"As was our grandfather."

They turned to look at her.

"My mother told me, that right before she left, her mother revealed that she had run away from the Northern Tribe, leaving behind the man she was engaged to. Our grandfather."

The Water Tribe citizens all continued to talk, sharing stories of Katara and Sokka's dad. Liu found out about what her mother was like as a kid, much to her delight. No one noticed Aang watching them from the background, not even Liu.

"There's something I should tell you kids. I'm expecting a message from Hakoda."

"Really?" Asked Katara.

"When?" Added Sokka.

"Any day now. Your father said he'd send a letter when they reached the rendezvous point. If you wait here until the letter arrives, you can come with me to see him."

"It's been over two years since we've seen dad. That would be so incredible." Said Sokka.

"And I've never had the chance to meet him." Liu added.

"Katara?"

"I do really miss him. It would be great to see dad."

"It's been far too long, hasn't it?" Bato stated.

No one saw Aang get up to leave.

* * *

The next day, Liu noticed that Aang seemed to be acting kinda funny. But she dismissed it as she was busy focusing on the information that Bato was sharing with them.

"This ship is sentimental to me. It was built by my father."

"Is this the boat he took you ice-dodging in?" Asked Sokka.

"Yep, it's got the scar to prove it. How 'bout _you_ Sokka? You must have some good stories from _your_ first time ice-dodging?"

"He never got to go." Katara pointed out. "Dad left before he was old enough."

"Oh, I forgot you were too young."

"What's ice-dodging?" Asked Liu. "It sounds intriguing."

"It's a rite of passage for young Water Tribe members. When you turn fourteen your dad takes you. You know what? You're about to find out."

* * *

Bato went into a description of the symbolism of ice-dodging, and its importance in Southern Water Tribe culture. Bato assigned each of the four young people a responsibility: Sokka was in charge of steering and giving orders, Katara was set to the mainsail, Liu was placed on lookout to keep her eyes open for the rocks, and Aang was put in charge of the jib.

By the end of their little adventure, they had all earned marks. Sokka received the Mark of the Wise, Katara received the Mark of the Brave, Aang received the Mark of the Trusted, and Liu received the Mark of the Observant which closely resembled Sokka's mark only it had two lines, giving it the look of a third eye. Unfortunately, their little celebration was cut short when Aang produced a crumpled up piece of paper.

"This is the map to our _father_! You had it the whole time? How could you?" Sokka shouted. "Well, you can go to the North Pole on your own! I'm going to find dad."

"Now Sokka," Bato tried to intercede, "I think you should-"

"Katara, are you with me?"

Katara looked back at Aang, her mind made up.

"I'm with you Sokka."

"Liu, are you coming as well?"

Liu looked at Aang. She was overcome with her own sense of guilt. She had been ignoring him. It was all her fault. She took the bracelet from her wrist, and turned to Bato.

"Bato. Will you kindly take this to my uncle with my regards?"

"I would be honored."

Liu then turned to her cousins.

"I'm sorry guys. I can't abandon Aang. He's as much a part of my family as you are. And not just because he's my great-uncle. Say hi to your dad for me."

* * *

"Avatar! You and your friend must leave immediately!" Shouted one of the Sisters.

"Okay, we get it. Everybody wants me gone."

"Two people came to the Abbey looking for you."

"Who?"

"A fierce looking woman with a horrible monster. And a young man with a scar."

"Zuko."

"The beast was using the scent of a necklace to follow you."

"A necklace? Katara!"

* * *

"What's it doing?" Shouted Zuko. "It's just going in a circle."

In swooped Aang. Causing the Sirshu to rear back, making its passengers fall off. As Jun got back on her Sirshu and headed for Aang, Liu led Appa to head-butt the creature. Zuko then made an attempt to capture Aang. The Sisters pulled the paralyzed Sokka and Katara out of harm's way. Once Jun was revived, she got up and was about to respond to her attacker; that is, of course, until she saw who it was.

"Liu?"

"Jun?"

"Well, this is awkward."

"So, you're helping the Fire Nation now?"

"Only for money."

"Right. Bounty-hunter, of course."

General Iroh, who was standing nearby, became intrigued.

"So you two ladies know each other?"

"Our dads used to do a lot of traveling together." Jun replied.

"And let's not forget who it was who taught me those useful tracking skills." Liu pointed out. "Or, who owes whom their _life_."

"Liu, this is just business."

"I understand. But after this is over you owe me _another_ favor."

"Fine. Just answer a question first. How did that Water Tribe girl and Princey over there break up?"

"Oh, they don't have _that_ kind of relationship. He just kidnapped her and tied her to a tree. But now that you mention it..."

* * *

Later that evening, as the Gaang was flying off, Aang had a little surprise.

"I wish I could give you a little piece of home, Katara. Something to remind you..."

"I'll be okay."

"Still, just a little trinket. Maybe something like..._this_?" He held up the necklace.

"Aang! How'd you get that?"

"Zuko asked me to be sure I got it to you."

"Aw, that's so sweet of Zuko. Would you give him a kiss for me when you see him?"

At that statement, Liu thought _I'll have to remember that for later._

**Yes, Liu and Jun are old buddies. But that won't stop Jun from trying to get her money. Jun has also put an important idea into Liu's deranged little mind. An idea that you should remember for later. Please review.**


	14. The Deserter

Helping Hand

**Okay, this was a tough one to write, but I did my best. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Deserter

The Gaang was wandering through the woods in an area controlled by the Fire Nation, so they were on their guard. Soon they came to a little billboard.

"This should give us a good idea of what's around here." Katara said, indicating to a map.

"See if you can find a menu." Said Sokka. "I'm starving."

"I bet we'll find something to eat _here_." Aang pointed to the board. "The Fire Days Festival. Fire Nation cultural exhibits, jugglers, Benders, magicians. This would be a great place for me to study some real Firebenders."

"You might wanna rethink that." Sokka said from the other side of the board. "Look at this."

The others all came around to see what he was talking about. On his side, the board was plastered over with wanted posters, two of which were of Aang and Liu.

"Hey! Posters of me and Liu!"

"Wanted posters." Liu pointed out. "This is bad. Really bad. Maybe we should just keep moving."

Liu not only was unnerved by the posters, but she had this feeling like they were being watched.

"I have to learn Firebending at _some_ point. And this could be my only chance to watch some masters up close."

"I guess we could go check it out." Said Katara.

"What?" Exclaimed Sokka. "You guys wanna walk into a Fire Nation town, when they're all fired up with all their...you know, _fire_?"

"We'll wear disguises. And if it looks like trouble we'll leave."

"Yeah," Sokka said with sarcasm, "because we always leave before we get into trouble."

* * *

"You guys stay out of sight here while we go to the festival." Aang said to Appa, Momo, and the two Kanga-dogs. "Ready disguises."

The three teens all donned cloaks, but Aang just tucked the top of his head into his shirt.

"It's like you're a whole different person." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Let's go." Aang declared. And the four of them headed off to the town.

* * *

"I think we need some new disguises." Katara pointed out as they looked around, seeing practically everyone wearing masks.

"Where are we gonna get masks like that?" Asked Sokka.

"Get your genuine Fire Festival masks here!" Shouted a vendor.

"That was surprisingly easy."

The Gaang all picked out some masks. Liu found a particularly nice one, it was shaped like the face of a beautiful woman whose hair was painted like flames brushing out to create a sun-beam effect; in fact, the color of the mask's hair matched Liu's pretty closely.

The Gaang walked around town. One thing that caught their attention was a children's puppet-show that was clearly designed to indoctrinate the young people with the Fire Nation's political agenda. They soon went over to watch a performer. Unfortunately, after Katara was chosen as a 'volunteer' for one of the performer's routines, their cover ended up being blown when Aang thought she was in real danger, which led him to lose his disguise while saving her. The Gaang soon found themselves being pursued by Fire Nation guards, luckily a mysterious man helped them to get away.

* * *

"I serve a man," said the man who helped them, who told them his name was Chey, "more than a man really, he's a myth, but he's real. A living legend, Jeong Jeong the deserter. He was a Fire Nation general...or wait, was he an admiral?"

"He was very highly ranked, we get it." Sokka said with irritation.

"Yeah! Way up there! But he couldn't take the madness anymore. He's the first person to leave the army and live. I'm the second, but you don't get to be a legend for that. It's okay though. Jeong Jeong's a Firebending genius. Some say he's mad. But he's not. He's _enlightened_."

"You mean there's a Firebender out there who's not with the Fire Lord?" Aang asked incredulously. "We've gotta go see him! He can train me!"

"We're not gonna go find some crazy Firebender." Sokka stated.

"He's not crazy!" Chey declared. "He's a _genius_! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar. That's why I followed you into the festival."

"Look. Thanks for the help, but we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning."

"Sokka. This could be my only chance to meet a Firebending master, who would _actually_ be willing to teach me."

"It can't hurt just to talk to him." Katara said.

"That's what you said about going to the festival!" The older boy replied.

"I have to admit, Katara," Liu added, "we've been having some rotten luck lately. I'm gonna have to go with Sokka on this one. Something's telling me we have to go or something bad will happen."

* * *

As it turned out, Jeong Jeong was less than thrilled that they had come. In fact, he refused to teach Aang at first, but Avatar Roku's spirit interceded. The next day, Aang began his lessons with Master Jeong Jeong. Aang was becoming frustrated with how slow and boring the lessons seemed; Liu watched, fascinated. Liu had come to the realization that she needed to focus on mastering her own element, and to do that she would not only have to finish the remaining levels but create her own Airbending technique as well, so she watched Aang's lesson, hoping for some inspiration.

Eventually, Liu realized she was right in her suspicions that they shouldn't have been there in the first place. Aang had been losing patience, and accidentally burned Katara.

"Aang! What did you do?" Asked Liu.

"What happened?" Shouted a very angry Sokka.

"It was an accident!...I just...Katara I...!" Aang tried to explain. Sokka tackled the boy to the ground.

"I told you we shouldn't mess around with this! Look what you did! You burned my sister!" Katara ran off in tears. "You burned my sister!" Just then, Master Jeong Jeong returned. "This is all _your fault_!"

"I know." The man replied. "Now pack your things. You must leave immediately."

As Sokka walked off, Aang kept spewing apologies. Liu knew that he wasn't ready for this, she had felt it from the beginning. She went to help Sokka pack.

* * *

"Aang! Come on! Let's go!" Sokka shouted to the little bald monk who had just outwitted Zhao into destroying his own ships. As the defeated admiral raged, the Gaang flew off into the sky.

"Wait. Where's Jeong Jeong?" Aang asked.

"He disappeared. They all did."

"Aang, you're burned." Katara pointed out. "Let me help you." She Bended some water onto her hand, which started to glow, and placed it on the boy's wound, healing it on contact.

"Wow, that's good water." Said Aang.

"When did you learn to do that?" Asked Liu.

"I guess I always knew."

"Oh, well thanks for all the first aid over the years." Came Sokka's sarcastic voice. "Like, when I fell into the Greaseberry bramble. And that time I got two fish hooks stuck in my thumb."

"Two?" Asked Aang.

"He tried to get the first fish hook out with another fish hook." Katara explained.

"Oh, and the time that Mink-snake bit me. Thanks for healing _that_ up."

**Finally, I am done with this chapter. It's just sort of filler, so you didn't have to read it. But about Liu's problem of creating her own Airbending move, any ideas? I'd love to have some suggestions. I do sorta have an idea for one, but it's still in the works. Please review.**


	15. The Northern Air Temple

Helping Hand

**Back again. This is, as you all (hopefully) know, the last episode before the Gaang reaches the North Pole. I am so excited. Just to let you all know, I'll try to at least finish the first season within the next couple days. I'm going to be very busy in the coming weeks as I leave for Italy on the 1st of July. Wish me luck. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Northern Air Temple

"So travelers," said the storyteller, "the next time you think you here a strange, large bird talking, take a closer look. It might not be a giant parrot, but a flying _man_. A member of a secret group of Air-walkers, who laugh at gravity. And laugh at those bound to the earth by it."

"Aren't Airbender stories the best?" Aang asked the Gaang.

"Was it realistic?" Asked Katara. "Is that how it was back then?"

"I laugh at gravity all the time. Hehehe, gravity."

"Jingle-jingle." Said the storyteller as he came around to people with his cap, asking for money for the story. Liu, who was grateful to hear a story about her people, threw in a few silver coins.

"Thank you for the story, sir. It really means a lot to hear Airbender stories."

Aang then spoke up.

"It must have been a hundred years ago that your great-grandpa met them."

"What are you prattling about, child? Great-grandpappy saw the Air-walkers last week."

* * *

The Gaang found themselves flying straight for the nearby Northern Air Temple.

"Hey, we're almost to the Northern Air Temple. This is where they had the Championships for Sky-bison polo." Said Aang.

"Well Aang," said Liu, "if we find other Airbenders then we should definitely play a game of Sky-bison polo. Whatever that is."

"Do you think we'll really find Airbenders?" Katara asked Sokka.

"You want me to be like you or totally honest?"

"Are you saying I'm a liar?"

"I'm saying you're an optimist, same thing basically."

"Hey! Guys!" Aang shouted. "Look at this!"

They all looked over to see the Air Temple. With strange figures flying around it.

"They really _are_ Airbenders!" Katara shouted.

But Aang's face fell.

"No they're not."

"What do you mean they're not?" Asked Sokka. "Those guys are flying!"

"Gliding maybe, but not flying. You can tell by the way they move, they're not Airbending. Those people have no spirit."

All of a sudden, one of the would-be Airbenders zoomed right over top of them, laughing.

"That kid seemed pretty spirited." Liu stated.

Aang then leapt out with his glider, deciding to try and show-up the kid who had just flown by them. As more young people came perilously close, the Gaang decided it would be best to land.

After the little flying contest, it seemed as though the new kid, whose name was Teo, had bested Aang to a certain degree. The two boys landed.

"Hey," Teo said, "you're a _real_ Airbender. You must be the Avatar. That's amazing! I-I've heard stories about you!"

"Thanks." Aang replied, bashfully.

"Wow," Sokka exclaimed, "this glider chair is incredible!"

"If you think this is good," Teo continued, "wait until you see the other stuff my dad designed."

They all followed Teo inside the temple. They were met by an industrial-type complex built into the ancient Air Temple. While Sokka was enthralled by the sight, Aang and Liu weren't as enthusiastic. Although Liu tried to keep an open mind, she couldn't help but feel as though an important facet of her heritage had been violated.

"This place is unbelievable." Aang stated.

"Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Teo responded.

"No, just unbelievable."

Liu looked over at Teo.

"Aang used to come here a lot, a hundred years ago. This place holds a special significance to him, as it was once a part of Air Nomad culture. I myself am an Airbender, and I think all these changes make the temple a little _different_ than what we had been expecting."

Aang went over to look at a mural that had been severely damaged by pipelines.

"This is supposed to be the history of my people." He said.

Liu began to feel a little upset as well, seeing how important all this was to Aang made it clear that a part of their shared culture was damaged.

* * *

The group walked over to an adjoining complex, that Teo explained was still undamaged.

"It's nice to see a least one part of the temple that isn't ruined." Said Aang.

"Look out!" Someone shouted as something crashed through the statue they had been looking at.

As the dust cloud cleared, a funny-looking man approached them.

"What the doodle? Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bath house."

"Do you know what you did?" Aang shouted. "You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bath house!"

"Well people around here are starting to stink."

"This whole place stinks!" Aang then sent a blast of air that knocked the construction crane, that had broken through the wall, off the side of the temple. "This is a sacred temple. You can't treat it this way. I've seen it when the monks were here, I know what it's supposed to be like."

"The monks? But, you're twelve."

"Dad," Teo spoke up, "he's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago."

Aang then resumed confronting the man.

"What are you doing? Who said you could be here?"

"Hm..doing here. A long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood..."

Teo's father explained that, because of the flood, Teo lost his mother and was badly hurt. He went on to explain how he and his people found the abandoned Air Temple, and began building a life there. He said how he found some of the old air-gliders and became inspired to create a new life for his son and their people, by making devices that allowed people to fly.

* * *

Teo took Aang, Katara, and Liu to see something; while Sokka went to see some of Teo's father's other inventions.

"I just can't get over it." Said Aang. "There's not a single thing that's the same."

"I don't know about that." Teo replied, as he leaned over in his wheel-chair to pick up a hermit-crab of the floor. "The temple might be different, but the creatures that live here are probably direct descendants of the one's that lived here a long time ago."

"You're right," Katara said, "they're kind of keepers of the temple's origins."

"Besides," Teo added, "there's one part of the temple that hasn't changed at all."

Teo then took them to the large door to the temple sanctuary. Aang and Katara recognized it as being similar to the one at the Southern Air Temple.

"Only an Airbender can open it," Teo explained, "so inside it's completely untouched. Just the way the monks left it. I've always wondered what it was like in there."

"Aang?" Katara asked.

"I'm sorry," the boy replied, "this is the last part of the temple that's the same as it was. I want it to stay that way."

"I completely understand." Teo said. "I just wanted you to know it was here."

"Thanks."

But Liu had one of her strange feelings, like they _should_ see what's inside. But she didn't bring it up, for Aang's sake.

* * *

Teo then took them to the courtyard where the other kids were all taking off on their gliders, Teo even convinced Katara to give it a try. Liu then turned to Aang.

"Aang, I think _I'm_ ready to give air-gliding a try."

So, Liu borrowed a glider and Aang proceeded to explain the basics of the Airbending technique involved. Nervously, Liu gripped the glider and launched herself into the air. She could feel it, that same rush she had when she was last in a situation like this. It was as if all that existed was the sky and her, that nothing else mattered. And the fact that her friends were up in the air as well only added to the joy, that there were people to share it with.

"This is amazing!" She shouted to the others. "It's like we're a part of the air itself!"

"Now you get it, Liu!" Aang shouted back.

When they landed, Aang had decided to allow Teo to see inside the sanctuary. Of course they had to help Katara get back down as she had no idea how to land. Aang decided that Liu should open the doors, as he had already done so at the Southern Air Temple. However, once inside, they were met by a horrible sight. War devices for the Fire Nation.

* * *

After they had driven back the Fire Nation troops that had been coming to destroy the temple after Aang told the war minister that Teo's father would no longer continue to make weapons for the Fire Nation, everyone felt confident that because they had the skies they would have the Fire Nation on the run. No one knew that the air-balloon that had crashed was being discovered by those same Fire Nation troops that they had just driven off.

**Okay, this was serious filler. I'm just a little rushed at the moment, and impatient to get the Gaang to the North Pole, that's why I trimmed this chapter so much. See you all soon.**


	16. The Waterbending Master

Helping Hand

**Finally, they're going to reach the Northern Water Tribe. Liu, like me, is a bit of a feminist, but she knows not to scream her opinions in people's faces when it won't help, instead she chooses to create careful arguments with points to support her case. Liu is going to observe the Waterbenders, maybe it will give her inspiration for her own Airbending technique. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Waterbending Master

They were flying around the North Pole, looking for the Northern Water Tribe. It was freezing, so they all put on warmer clothes. Liu donned the fancy parka her mom had given her; it was a rich, dark purple color, with fine white fur edging and a silver pendant on the torso that bore the symbol of the Moon and Ocean. Katara mentioned how beautiful Liu's parka was, and Liu told her that it had originally belonged to Gran-Gran but was passed on to Liu's mom. Liu noticed that Aang wasn't wearing a parka, or any warm covering, over his clothes.

"Aang, maybe you should put something on to stay warm." She pulled out a thick blanket and draped it over the boy's shoulders.

"Thanks."

Their little tete`-a-tete´ was interrupted by a very grouchy Sokka.

"I'm not one to complain, but can't Appa fly _any_ higher?"

"I have an idea." Aang replied angrily. "Why don't we all get on _your_ back, and have _you_ fly us to the North Pole?"

"I'd _love_ to." Sokka said sarcastically. "Climb on everyone. Sokka's ready for take-off."

"Everyone calm down." Liu interjected. "We're all just a little tired and cranky because of the non-stop flight we've had for the past couple days."

"And for _what_?" Asked Sokka. "We can't even _find_ the Northern Water Tribe. There's nothing up here."

"Don't tempt fate, Sokka. Or it will come and bite you on the behind." Liu cautioned.

As if in response, they all heard a loud splashing as icebergs suddenly started to form out of the blue (no pun intended). They quickly swerved to avoid the onslaught, but eventually, Appa was stopped as some ice was created to halt him. The Gaang were soon approached by boats of men.

"They're Waterbenders." Katara pointed out. "We found the Water Tribe."

* * *

The Gaang was escorted into the icy citadel of the Northern Tribe. Liu was enraptured by the sight of something so connected with her heritage. _Maybe_ she thought _my other grandfather is still alive. Maybe I can find him._ There was a banquet held that night, and Chief Arnook presented them to the people assembled. The Gaang was seated over by the Chief, Appa was being fed by some very nervous men nearby, and Liu had her two Kanga-dogs over with her, occasionally sneaking them little tid-bits of food from the table. The Gaang also met Princess Yue, the Chief's daughter, who Sokka instantly took a liking to.

"So, you're a _princess_? Huh. You know, back in my Tribe I'm kinda like a prince myself."

"Prince of _what_?" Katara all-but laughed.

"Well Katara," Liu interjected, "seeing as how you two are my cousins that technically makes you royalty because _I'm_ a princess."

"See?" Sokka asked his sister, smugly. "Liu knows what I'm talking about. Now would you mind? I'm trying to have a conversation here."

"My apologies _Prince Sokka_." Katara said with mock ceremony.

* * *

Later that night, after the Gaang had settled in, Liu decided to visit her Spirit Guide.

_She saw him sitting beneath the familiar cherry tree, playing a tune on his Tsungi Horn._

_"Hel**lo**."_

_"Oh, Liu. So good to see you again. It's been a long time since your last visit."_

_"Sorry about that. I can see you decided to have music night without me."_

_The young man chuckled._

_"You know it wouldn't be music night without you. Come, what shall we play?"_

_"How about, 'Four Seasons'?"_

_"Ah, my favorite, next to 'Leaves From the Vine' of course."_

_After their little music concert, Liu sang as that was her favorite thing to do, Liu decided to start a conversation._

_"Me and the guys are at the North Pole now."_

_"Good, good, you all are well on your way."_

_"But there is something else...about...my grandfather."_

_"Your mom's dad? Oh, he's still very much alive. Or as alive as a man can be after your grandmother broke his heart."_

_"You mean, there's still a chance I can find him?"_

_"Yes, the answer will become clear very soon. In the meantime, I suggest you focus on the opportunity at hand. Why don't you go and watch Aang and Katara at their lesson tomorrow? It might give you some inspiration for that Airbending technique you need to invent."_

_"I might just do that."_

* * *

The next day, Liu walked over to the training ground with Aang and Katara. Katara was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"I've waited for this day my whole life. I finally get to learn from a real Waterbending master."

Aang saw Master Pakku, the teacher, and called out to him.

"Good morning, Master Pakku!"

"No, please, march right in." He replied sarcastically. "I'm not concentrating or anything."

Aang looked guilty, and introduced his companions.

"Uh...this is my friend, Katara. The one I told you about. And this is Liu, my Airbending student."

"Hey, I'm just here to watch. I won't be a bother." Liu responded.

Master Pakku looked at Katara.

"I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding. You didn't tell me your friend was a girl. In our Tribe, it is _forbidden_ for women to learn Waterbending."

"What do you mean you won't teach me?" Katara demanded. "I didn't travel across the _entire_ _world_ so that you could tell me 'no'."

"No."

Liu stepped forward.

"How can you just deny her like that? Katara was born with a gift. The Waterbenders of the South Pole are all gone except for her. My own mother is a Waterbender who grew up in the South, but she was of Northern blood. My mother left the South Pole to try and come up here to learn Waterbending, and she would have done so if she hadn't decided to stay in Omashu. If anyone told her she couldn't learn because she's a woman, it would have broken her heart to know that her own people were so callous and discriminatory. You can't deny a Bender the opportunity to learn their element, it's wrong. I wasn't denied learning Airbending because I'm a girl."

"I understand how you feel, but-"

"No, you don't understand. What about the female _Avatars_? Were _they_ denied the chance to learn Waterbending?"

"Well no, but that's different."

"How? Katara has just as much a right, and as much an _obligation_, to learn her element. We're in a _war_! Don't you think we'd need every able-bodied person we can find? And why do you feel that women _can't_ learn? Why are we so different that you feel that way?"

"Women are not capable enough to learn Waterbending. The women learn from Yugoda to use their Waterbending to heal. I'm sure she would be happy to take your friend as her student, despite her bad attitude."

"Not capable? You wouldn't be saying _that_ if you knew of what we went through to get here. Katara has been a valuable ally in combat with the Fire Nation when we've been attacked. How many Firebenders have _you_ taken down? I doubt it's very many, considering that you Northerners seem to be doing _nothing_ while your sister Tribe has sent away a large majority of its few remaining citizens to fight in the war. From what Katara and her brother have told me, the South Pole is all-but wiped out. My mother told me stories of how bravely the female Waterbenders of the South Pole fought when the Tribe was first attacked, she said how the last Waterbender to be taken away by the Fire Nation was a female Waterbending prodigy. How can you say that women are incapable of fighting in the face of this evidence? I myself have mastered many different fighting forms. One of which I learned on an island where women alone are warriors. In fact, when I first met Sokka, Katara's brother, he was a complete chauvinist as well, but after the leader of the island's warriors kicked his butt, he _begged_ to learn from them."

"Well, isn't that nice for him?" He replied with more sarcasm.

Liu pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. There just seemed to be no arguing with this man. He just seemed to be set in his ways. So completely arrogant and hard-headed and stubborn and sarcastic. If Liu didn't know any better, she would have thought the guy was an older version of Sokka. Liu was then struck by a thought, a small idea formed in her mind. _It couldn't hurt to try._

Liu turned to Katara.

"Katara, could I see your necklace for a moment?"

Katara, although confused, handed over the necklace that had once belonged to Gran-Gran.

Liu then turned back to Master Pakku.

"I didn't just come here to help Aang and Katara find a Waterbending master. I'm looking for someone. My grandfather. Do you, by any chance, know who carved _this_?"

Pakku stared at the necklace in shock.

"T-That...I carved that years ago. For the love of my life. For Kanna."

"Gran-Gran was supposed to marry _you_?" Asked Katara. "_You're_ our grandfather?"

Pakku looked at the two girls, he was amazed he didn't see it sooner. He then noticed that Liu was even wearing the same coat he had given to Kanna as an engagement present. Pakku felt so stupid. His pride had not only cost him his wife, it had cost him his children and almost cost him his grandchildren. Liu smirked victoriously, she had finally found his weak-spot. His love for Kanna.

Pakku looked back at Liu.

"I-Is she...is Kanna...?"

"You'd have to ask Katara and Sokka that question. I didn't even know their dad is my mom's twin brother until a few weeks ago. But I hope this has opened your eyes a little. Gran-Gran left because of this Tribe's stupid customs, she wasn't about to let her children and grandchildren grow up with that. It must have taken a lot of courage."

Master Pakku then turned to Katara and Aang.

"Well what do you two think you're doing just standing around? We have lesson to get on with, and you're late!"

Liu noticed that the old man had a smile on his face.

* * *

It was night, and Liu had decided to take a little walk to clear her head. She had always loved the cold weather, and snow. She guessed it was her Northern blood telling her she was in a place that was genetically familiar. She loved the feel of the cool wind blowing on her face, and the taste of saltwater in the air. Soon she heard a noise, like someone crying. She followed the sound until she came upon a figure with white hair, Princess Yue.

"I highly doubt that crying is going to help whatever is troubling you, but if you want to talk I'm all-ears."

The two princesses locked gazes.

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me. As I previously mention, I _am_ a princess myself. There's not much I'm not familiar with. And, just out of curiosity, didn't you have a date with Sokka this evening? I know my cousin is annoying, but I didn't think he was bad enough to make someone _cry_."

"No, it's not him."

"What is it then? Come on, as one princess to another."

Yue sniffled, fighting back another outburst of tears.

"I like Sokka, a lot. But it's very confusing for me. Because, I'm engaged."

"Engaged? Perhaps that's something you should have mentioned to Sokka. He came back to the hut all angry and hurt, he thinks you led him on or something."

"What? No..I...it's nothing to do with him."

"I think it has more to do with him than you realize. You've clearly been set to marry some guy you don't love, and probably don't even like, and in walks this funny, albeit awkward, young man who likes you for who you are and not because you're some fancy princess. That must be very painful for you. I get that. And I understand the feelings you must have about having to choose duty over love. But know this, love is something that transcends all other things in this world. It is what holds people together through good times and bad. Just because you're engaged to someone you don't love, doesn't mean you have to deny your feelings for Sokka. You _don't_ have to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, but if you did, you would want someone to help you carry the burden. Someone who would do what they could to make it hurt a little less. I believe that Sokka might just be that someone for you."

"But if I'm engaged-"

"Yue, listen to me. It's not like you're having an _affair_. And it's not as if Sokka is asking you for anything, other than a slightly-more-than-friendship. If you tell Sokka, he will understand. I know him, and he wouldn't do anything to hurt you. If you just want to be friends, that's fine. But don't just leave him all confused and upset. The first chance you get, I want you to explain everything to him. It's not an order, but I would recommend it. I won't say anything."

Yue hugged the girl, and thanked her for the advice. Liu smiled as she watched her go. _At least she'll have __**some**__ happiness _Liu thought _even for however brief a time._ Liu couldn't help but feel something odd, like a strangely heavy wind. The sensation was overwhelming. Liu looked out to sea. _They're coming, aren't they?_

**Yes, a hugely obvious plot bunny. I think I made Liu's point come across nicely in both situations. I'm sure by now you've realized who Liu's Spirit Guide is, and if you have then drop me a comment on the review page. Hey! Drop me a comment on the review page even if you _haven't_ figured it out. I just want some reviews, people! See ya later.**


	17. The Siege of the North Part 1

Helping Hand

**Okay, sorry about the delay. I have had a bit of difficulty getting to some of what I want to write, but I think I'm good now. I just hope the sleep deprivation doesn't kick in again. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Siege of the North Part 1

The Waterbending lessons had been going great for Katara, Liu knew that with proper training Katara would clearly be a better learner. Liu had been picking up a vibe that Aang might be a little ADHD, just like Liu herself. An assumption that seemed to be correct, due to the fact that while Katara was totally pasting any guy who was stupid enough to take her on, Aang was playing with Momo and not paying the slightest bit of attention. Liu had never much enjoyed playing spectator, she preferred to be right in the action, but even she was paying close attention to when Katara kicked another student's butt.

"I hope that the reason you agreed to teach Katara is not entirely due to the fact that she's your granddaughter." Liu inquired of the old Waterbending master who was as much her grandfather as he was Katara's. "Because that technically classifies as nepotism."

The old man smirked.

"Actually, I'm starting to see your point about girl's having as much a right to learn as boys."

"Does that mean that girls can actually learn Waterbending now? Or are you going to keep putting it off until _another_ group travels across the world to find a Waterbending master for a female Waterbending prodigy and a spiritual reincarnation of a god-like master of the four elements who has the attention span of a chittering Rabbit-monkey?"

Master Pakku chuckled lightly.

"You really are my granddaughter after all. And yes, I do believe it is time to put aside these old discriminations. And in fact, I look forward to seeing some students who actually _enjoy_ learning."

"Well you won't find any shortage them, ever since Katara started learning from you, a bunch of girls have been asking if they could learn as well. I told them that I'd have to find out from you first. It's good to hear that you're now open to accept new students. And female ones at that."

"Well, tell them that if they want to learn, to be here tomorrow at sunrise."

Liu took a mental note of that. She hoped he wouldn't be _too_ surprised at the number of girls who wanted to learn real Waterbending.

* * *

The following day, Liu led a group of about forty girls and young women to the Waterbending school. As Liu had expected, Master Pakku was more than a little shocked.

"When I said I was willing to teach girls, I didn't think you meant this many."

"They all came up to me, pleading to ask you if you would accept them as students. And because you gave your word that you would, I couldn't very well turn them away, now could I?"

Some of the younger girls were a little bit silly, but no more than Aang; however, most of the older girls had fierce looks of determination, they had waited for an opportunity like this their whole lives.

After that first day of training, it was clear that the girls were very eager and willing to learn and were twice as good as some of the advanced boys. But of course, Katara was still the top student.

* * *

One day, not long after, something strange happened. A large, dark cloud loomed off in the distance; and suddenly, black snow started to fall.

"Oh no."

"What's wrong, Katara?" Liu asked.

"This is bad. Really bad. Soot mixed with snow." Everyone turned to listen. "The last time I saw this, our Tribe was attacked by the Fire Nation. And judging by how much there is, there's definitely a lot of Fire Nation ships headed this way."

Everyone began to get nervous, even Master Pakku's usually lofty expression faltered. Liu, however, just took in the information that she knew was coming sooner or later. Liu had foreseen this occurrence, the spirits had been sending her warning signals for days. Everyone heard the sudden sound of drums, and rushed to the palace to hear what Chief Arnook had to say.

* * *

It was calm, too calm. The Gaang waited at the wall with the other warriors and Waterbenders. Liu could feel the adrenalin pumping in her veins, her heart rate going faster by the second. Then they saw it, the first ship launched a fireball that was heading straight for them. Before anyone could respond, the blast hit the wall and knocked the people back. Before anyone realized it, there were yet more fireballs being sent at them. Together, Aang and Liu set off for the attacking ship. The two Airbenders quickly deflected one of the fireballs that was headed for them; once they had a clear view of the ship, the two launched themselves off of Appa and landed firmly on the deck of the ship. As Aang set to work dismantling the catapults, Liu started fending off the Fire Nation troops. As soon as they had finished disarming the ship, boatloads of Waterbenders encased the hull in ice, immobilizing it. However, the victory was short-lived, as Liu and Aang caught sight of literally thousands more ships.

"Aang, I do believe we have a problem."

* * *

Later, after the two Airbenders arrived back after taking out at least a dozen Fire Navy ships completely exhausted, Liu decided to check up on Sokka at the warrior base. She found Sokka in the middle of sharpening an ax and talking to a particularly obnoxious boy. The boy was apparently the guy who Yue was engaged to, which made Liu feel really bad for the girl, and he was going on about how his marriage to Yue would get him a good political standing. When Sokka heard the disrespectful things the boy was saying it made him get angry, when Sokka said that Yue was wasted on a self-absorbed weasel like that boy, the boy said that Sokka couldn't possibly understand the culture of the Northern Tribe as he was just some rube from the South, a declaration that made Sokka attack him.

"And you're just a jerk without a soul, no offense!"

As the two boys grappled, Chief Arnook entered.

"That's enough! Sokka, you're off the mission."

As Chief Arnook left, Liu could hear the obnoxious boy calling the others to attention, but Liu didn't stay to watch as she made her way after the Chief.

"Chief Arnook, sir."

"Princess Liu, how my I be of assistance."

"With all due respect, sir, Sokka did not attack that boy unprovoked. I saw and heard the whole thing. That other boy goaded him on. First he spoke very disrespectfully about your daughter, then he made some rather offensive comments about the fact that Sokka is from the Southern Water Tribe. So I just wanted to say that I don't believe it was very fair of you to just take him off the mission like that."

"Thank you for telling me this. In fact, I think I know about a special mission that I could give to Sokka."

"I'm sure he would appreciate that."

* * *

Liu made her way to where Aang was waiting with Katara and Princess Yue. Yue was telling them about the Moon and Ocean spirits, when Aang was suddenly struck by an idea.

"The spirits! Maybe I can find them and ask for their help."

"How can you do that?" Asked Yue.

"Aang is the Avatar." Liu said, making her presence known. "He's the bridge between this world and the Spirit World. Trust me on this. I know a thing or two about the Spirit World."

"Maybe the spirits will give you the wisdom to win this battle."

"Or maybe they'll unleash a crazy amazing spirit attack on the Fire Nation!" At Aang's declaration, everyone just stared. "Or wisdom, that's good too."

"The only problem is," Katara spoke up, "last time you got to the Spirit World by accident."

"Well, actually, Liu did sort of point me in the right direction."

"Of course! Liu, can you help Aang get to the Spirit World?"

"Well, I guess so. I mean, it's not exactly an easy process. Sometimes you can get to the Spirit World by chance, others require intense concentration. Yue, are there any places in this Tribe that are of particular spiritual importance?"

"Why as a matter of fact there is."

* * *

When they reached the Oasis, everyone was surprised by how warm it was.

"It's the center of all spiritual energy in our land." Yue explained.

"You're right," Liu responded, "I can feel the power of this place. Being a Spirit Well, I am very sensitive to spirit activity and energy. This place is practically on fire with it, so to speak."

"I can feel..._something_." Said Aang. "It's so..._tranquil_."

"So Aang," Liu continued, "I want you to meditate, focus your energy on taking you to the Spirit World. I would go with you, but I feel this is a journey you need to make on your own."

As Aang sat meditating, Yue asked Katara what it was he was doing; however, it was obvious they were distracting him, so Liu shushed them. Eventually, Aang's eyes and tattoos lit up.

"Is he okay?" Yue asked nervously.

"He's fine," Liu answered, "he's just crossing into the Spirit World. He'll be okay as long as we don't move his body."

"Maybe we should get some help?"

"No," Katara replied, "he's our friend, we're perfectly capable of protecting him."

"Well," came a male voice, "aren't _you_ big girls now?"

"No." Katara said in shock at who had just appeared.

"Yes. Hand him over and I won't have to hurt you." Zuko demanded.

"_You_...hurt _Katara_?" Liu said amazed, then burst out laughing.

"What are _you_ cackling about?"

"I'm sorry...but...you against a Waterbending prodigy at an almost-full moon? It's just too easy, Fire Boy."

Yue, however, didn't find anything funny about the situation and ran off to get some help.

"Seriously, Katara, wipe the floor with this guy. Let's see those training lessons pay off."

Liu watched amused as Zuko was clearly outmatched.

"Are you guys fighting, or _flirting_?" Liu asked.

"Shut up!" Zuko shouted at her.

"Yeah Liu," Katara added, "don't even _suggest_ that."

Liu, however, just rolled her eyes and watched the showdown.

Katara won the fight by encasing Zuko in a rush of ice. Unfortunately, no sooner did she turn her back than the sun came up and Zuko was the powerful one now. He melted the ice, and knocked her out.

"You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun."

Suddenly, he heard the sound of slow clapping.

"Well done, Fire Boy, you pulled the sneakiest trick in dishonest combat. Attacking someone when their back is turned."

"I didn't see _you_ try and stop me."

"Oh, you _so_ don't even want to go there. Just throw a fire blast at me, you'll see what I mean."

Zuko shot a blast of fire at her, but it didn't even come within an inch of her before circling around to come right back in his direction.

"Wha...how...?"

"Does it matter how? The point is, you can't win against me. So I suggest you leave the little bald kid alone, and walk away."

"Never! I need the Avatar to restore my honor!"

"So, how's the Blue Spirit thing going these days? I hear you're wanted for rescuing the Avatar?"

"The Avatar told you about that?"

"Oh, Aang didn't need to. Which reminds me, do you still have that arrow? I wouldn't mind having it back."

"You? You were the one who sent the letter?"

"Well, I don't think you could say _me_ specifically. I just assumed that whatever spirit decided to channel its power through me would know what it was doing."

"Well it doesn't matter! I'm walking out of here with the Avatar and you can't stop me!"

"Fine. But knock me unconscious with my back turned, like you did to my cousin. It would be suspicious otherwise."

Zuko looked at her like she had just spoken another language. But something that Zuko didn't realize is that Liu knew that something like this would put doubts in his head, not to mention the fact that Liu was being told to do so by her Spirit Guide.

* * *

When Katara finally came to, she saw Liu sprawled unconscious and Aang gone. She quickly went over to wake Liu up.

"Liu! What happened?"

"Zuko. After he got you, he attacked me while my back was turned. The jerk."

Suddenly, they saw Appa land with Sokka and Yue.

When the two girls explained what happened, everyone became worried. Everyone that is, except Liu.

"Where did they go?" Asked Sokka.

"We'll find them." Liu said. "They won't get far."

**Yes, it's done. I know I changed some stuff around, but I think it turned out pretty well. I thought the other Northern girls deserved to learn Waterbending. And I felt that it needed to be clarified how Sokka was put in charge of protecting Yue. And I know it seems totally random and out-of-the-blue that Liu just allowed Zuko to capture Aang, but Liu is a complicated person with many crazy personality traits, well she **_**is**_** King Bumi's granddaughter on her father's side if you all remember.**


	18. The Siege of the North Part 2

Helping Hand

**Yes, I'm finally at the end of the first season. I might post a few more episodes in the story over the next couple days but I think this might just be a good place to stop until after I get back from Italy. And a special shout out to ****UltimateLoveStorys****, thanks for pointing out how Mary-Sue my character is, I forgot that she's supposed to still be human, I'm trying to work on some flaws to her; and about your guess about who her Spirit Guide is, I'm not going to say anything *Wink Wink*. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Siege of the North Part 2

"I can't believe I lost him." Katara said despairingly.

"You did everything you could." Sokka replied.

"Well," Liu said, "we're not going to find him sitting around here. Get your butts in gear and let's get a move on. We're under attack people!"

"Liu's right," Sokka said, "we need to do everything we can to find him. Zuko can't have gotten far. We'll find him. Aang's gonna be fine."

"He always is."

"Okay." Katara replied.

Liu looked down at Momo and her two Kanga-dogs.

"You guys hold down the fort here while we go look for Aang."

The two Kanga-dogs stood at attention, Momo saw their gestures and imitated them.

And with that, the four teens all set off on Appa.

* * *

As they were flying, Katara had to ask Liu something.

"Liu, you're a Spirit Well, does that mean you can find Aang in the Spirit World?"

"Look Katara, even if I _could_ I doubt that will be much help. Aang is on a mission, and it's something he has to figure out on his own. I may be a Spirit Well, but I'm not omnipotent or omniscient or something. And I _am_ scared. I'm scared that I wasn't able to protect Aang." _Not that they all need to know what really happened. Even I'm not sure why I gave up like that. It was weird._ "I'm scared that I don't have all the answers for once. And I'm scared of what's going to happen. The spirits have willed something today, and they're not telling me what it is. I can't solve every problem in the world, no matter how much I want to."

Liu inwardly cursed herself. Why had she suddenly let Zuko knock her out like that? Why had she given him the vantage point? Yes, her Spirit Guide had told her it would put doubts in his head, but why had she just lost control and allowed a whole different person to take over her like that? Something was going on, and Liu didn't like it. It's not easy to scare Liu, only a few things could do that: Spiders, clowns, ventriloquist dummies, threatening the people she cared about, and not knowing something. In her childhood, Liu had developed a reputation as a human encyclopedia, able to remember things as if she kept a mental catalogue, but when faced with something she couldn't figure out, well that scared her. A lot. Liu decided to take the initiative.

"No one disturb me, I'm going to try and contact my Spirit Guide. If he can't help us...well, try not to think about that."

She sat and began to meditate.

_"Liu, you've come. I was wondering how long it would take you to come to me for help."_

_"Please. You have to tell me what's happening. Why did you tell me to let Zuko take Aang? What was it that took me over so that I __**had**__ to surrender? What is going on that would require us gone?"_

_"I can't tell you, Liu. The will of the Greater Spirit is stronger than anything you can imagine."_

_"I am __**not**__ going to stand by and do nothing."_

_"Liu, I'm afraid you must. Some things cannot be changed."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Liu, go now and find Aang. Come to me when this is all over. I will explain it to you then."_

_Liu looked at him, his eyes filled with concern and regret. Liu knew more than anyone that her Spirit Guide had done things he wasn't proud of, and Liu guessed that this was going to be one of those times._

"Well, what is it?" Katara asked when Liu finally returned.

"He won't help us."

"What?" Sokka declared. "Some Spirit Guide _he _is."

"It's not his fault. He said that some things cannot be changed."

* * *

It was night, the winds were freezing but the blizzard had died down. All of a sudden, the four teens on the Sky-bison saw a strange, blue light shoot by them and land in a small cave.

"Look!" Katara shouted. "That's gotta be Aang! Yip-Yip!"

By the time they had landed, they found Aang trying to escape from Zuko, though his efforts were not too easy considering the fact that he was tied up.

Katara jumped down and faced Zuko.

"Here for a re-match?" Zuko asked.

"Trust me Zuko," Katara replied, "it's not gonna be much of a match."

As he shot a blast of fire at her, she easily caught it with water, then sent a huge wave of snow to form a pillar underneath him that she then dropped to the ground, knocking him out. Sokka ran over to untie Aang.

"Hey, this is some quality rope."

"We need to get to the Oasis." Said Aang. "The spirits are in trouble."

As everyone got back on Appa, Aang looked back at the unconscious Zuko.

"Wait. We can't just leave him here."

"Sure we can." Sokka replied. "Let's go."

"No. If we leave him, he'll die."

As Aang went over to get the unconscious Firebender, Sokka had only one thing to say.

"Yeah, this makes a lotta sense. Let's _bring_ the guy who's constantly trying to kill us."

As they flew, suddenly something happened. The moon turned red. Aang, Yue, and Liu all began to feel very strange.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked Yue.

"I feel faint." She answered.

"I feel it too." Aang said.

Liu was clutching her head in severe pain.

"Liu," Katara inquired, "what's wrong?"

"Something is wrong, _very_ wrong. I can only feel this if a spirit is in trouble or pain. As a Spirit Well, my life is invariably connected with the spirits who reside on the earthly plain. And the moon turning red...that's definitely not a good sign."

"The Moon Spirit is in trouble." Aang stated with worry.

"I owe the Moon Spirit my life." Yue continued.

"What do you mean?" Asked Sokka.

"When I was born, I was very sick and very weak..."

* * *

"I am..a _legend_ now. The Fire Nation will for generations tell stories about the great Zhao, who darkened the moon. They will call me Zhao the Conqueror, Zhao the _Moon-slayer_, Zhao the _Invincible_!" With that declaration, a certain flying lemur dropped onto his head and two Kanga-dogs started biting at his legs. "Ah! Get them off! Get them off!"

When the three creatures spotted their masters, they abandoned their attack on Zhao and leapt across the little Koi pond to stand over by them. The Gaang all stood at the ready, prepared to fight Zhao and his men.

"Don't bother." The admiral said, as he lifted up the bag that contained the imprisoned Moon Spirit, about to strike.

"Zhao," Aang said, dropping his staff, "don't."

"It's my destiny, to destroy the moon, and the Water Tribe."

"Destroying the moon won't hurt just the Water Tribe. It will hurt everyone, including you. Without the moon, everything would fall out of balance. You have no idea what kind of chaos that would unleash on the world."

"He is right, Zhao." Came an elderly voice. Everyone turned to see the old man who the Gaang recognized as the one who had been traveling with Zuko.

"General Iroh," Zhao addressed the man, "why am I not surprised to discover your treachery?"

"I'm no traitor, Zhao. The Fire Nation needs the moon too. We all depend on the _balance_." When Zhao didn't look as if he were going to relent, Iroh got into a fighting stance. "Whatever you do to that spirit, I'll unleash on you ten-fold! Let it go now!"

Zhao finally seemed to give in. He released the Moon Spirit back into the Koi pond. But suddenly, he got a furious look on his face. And before anyone could stop him, he shot a blast of fire at the spirit. Iroh launched into a battle with Zhao's guards as Zhao himself made his escape. After the guards were defeated, everyone headed over to the Koi pond. Everyone, except Liu who had gone into some kind of shock. Katara grabbed the girl and tried to rouse her, but Liu's eyes just stared up blankly, she was still alive but in a sort of coma.

Iroh picked up the Moon Spirit from the Koi pond, but the fish just lay limp in his hands.

"There's no hope now." Said Yue. "It's over."

Aang was then overcome by a strange power.

"_No, it's not over._"

* * *

"You have been touched by the Moon Spirit." Iroh said to Yue. "Some of its life is in you."

"Yes, you're right. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back."

"No!" Sokka exclaimed, reaching out to grab her hand. "You don't have to do that!"

"It's my duty, Sokka."

"I won't let you! Your father told me to protect you!"

"I have to do this."

Yue placed her hands on the dead spirit. Suddenly, there was a strange glow and the princess fell to the ground. As Yue fell, Liu awoke. Sokka caught Yue's limp form.

"No! She's gone. She's gone."

Liu looked at the sight in sadness. Then, something unbelievable happened, Yue's body disappeared and a white light coated the Koi pond. A beautiful figure in flowing robes appeared before them.

_"Goodbye Sokka. I will always be with you."_ The new Moon Spirit, Princess Yue, gave Sokka a farewell kiss and vanished. Instantly, the moon returned to normal.

Liu got up and ran over to hug her cousin in his moment of despair.

Liu then looked over at the old man named General Iroh, there was something so familiar about him.

"General Iroh, I would advise you to get away from the Water Tribe as quickly as you can. I just don't think the Water Tribe people will take kindly to the sight of a Firebender in light of these events."

"Quite right, child. I must be on my way."

Liu suddenly felt overcome by a strange feeling again, and a voice that wasn't hers spoke.

"_You'll find him at the outer bridge._"

Liu shook off the strange occurrence, but Iroh understood what just happened, as he himself had made a trip to the Spirit World. And Iroh thanked whatever spirit had overshadowed the girl, as now he knew where to find his nephew.

* * *

_"Why didn't you tell me this would happen?"_

_"Liu, calm down. I couldn't stop it, it was ordained by the Greater Spirit. Yue's sacrifice was a set point in time. And nothing you nor I could do can change it."_

_"But what about Sokka, hmm? Yue was his first love. How can you just expect me to tell him to get over it?"_

_"In time he will grow to accept that which cannot be undone. And if Yue hadn't made her sacrifice, you would have stayed in a stasis forever."_

_"But if you had just told me-"_

_"No! Liu, you must understand this. Not every unfairness can be corrected. You and your friends have done much to help people and change things, but some things just can't be helped."_

_"Fine. But at least tell me why I lost control and let Zuko take Aang. You told me it would make him doubt, but I didn't even do what I did. It just sort of happened."_

_"That was the Greater Spirit. It knew you might try and resist its wishes to protect Aang, so it took over."_

_"You know, this whole getting overshadowed at odd moments thing is kind of irritating. But at least tell me one more thing, and then I'll go."_

_"What is it?"_

_"Lu Ten, what do you know of a man named General Iroh?"_

_The spirit's face revealed a mixture of shock and awkwardness._

* * *

"I've decided to go to the South Pole." Said Master Pakku. "Some other Benders and Healers want to join me. It's time we helped rebuild our sister tribe."

"What about Aang?" Asked Katara. "He still needs to learn Waterbending."

"Well, then he'd better get used to calling you _Master_ Katara."

Katara's face lit up with joy.

"Congratulations." Liu said as she hugged her cousin.

* * *

Liu had no idea why she had volunteered for it, but _someone_ had to tell him. So she made her way over to the infirmary, where a particularly annoying and careless boy was recovering after his failed attempt to assassinate Admiral Zhao the day before.

"Uh...you're Hahn, right?"

The boy straightened up and attempted to look tough at the prospect of an admirer.

"Why yes I am, little lady. Come to admire the brave hero who almost died in combat?"

"No. I came here to tell you that your marriage to Yue is...no longer gonna happen."

Hahn got a confused look.

"Well, you see...the thing is this. She kinda sacrificed herself to save the Moon Spirit. And...well...let's just say I don't think that long-distance kinda relationship would ever work out."

"Aw, man. Typical! I get engaged to the Chief's only daughter and she decides to give up her life to save the stupid moon!"

Liu narrowed her eyes, she _really_ didn't like this guy.

"Yue made an honorable sacrifice. She saved the Waterbenders."

"Yeah yeah." Then a thought crossed his mind. "Hey, wait a second. Aren't you that Earth Kingdom princess...uh...Lou-Lou, is it?"

"Liu."

"Yeah whatever. So, has anyone asked your father for your hand in marriage yet?"

"I can see where you're going with this. And let me clarify four reasons why your little plan is never going to work. 1) You're a sexist pig, 2) You don't _really_ care about me, you just want the chance to get a powerful title, 3) My dad has been dead for six years so I doubt you could ask him anything, and he probably wouldn't agree to _you_ anyway, and 4) If you think I'd ever marry a self-absorbed weasel like you, I'll kick your butt from here to the South Pole."

And with that, Liu departed. Leaving the bewildered Hahn to stare after her in shock.

* * *

The Gaang all met up. And had a group hug as they looked out at the ocean, thinking about where they were going next. Liu was suddenly struck by a strange sense of foreboding, like someone was going to come after them, but she resolved that she would not allow anything to happen to her friends, her _family_.

**Yes, it is finished. Bet you all saw the Spirit Guide thing coming. Yes, Liu did not know exactly why she let Zuko capture Aang, I know it seemed different in the last chapter, but that was before I got a new idea for it. Yes, I also added a little part that showed that Hahn survived, it was never directly stated that he ****did**** die, and I just wanted to add a little humor. Adn those fears that Liu has are genuine fears that I have. See y'all next time.**


	19. The Avatar State

Helping Hand

**Okay, I think I can add a few more chapters before I leave for a few weeks. I hope you all have been enjoying your Summer vacations, I've certainly enjoyed entertaining you with my stories. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Avatar State

Liu tossed and turned as she lay sleeping in the hammock beneath the deck of the ship. Many things had started to weigh on her mind ever since the siege of the North Pole. Particular events started to come back to haunt her.

_She was ten years old. She was with her parents on the ramparts of one of the inner walls of the impenetrable city. All around her was the smell of smoke and burning. A sea of flames seemed to engulf the entire space below them. _

_"Manna, I want you and Liu to wait here."_

_"Anil, don't tell me you're going down there."_

_"I have to. You both stay here where it's safe. At the first sign of trouble, I want you to get out of here."_

_As Liu watched her father leave, she was terrified. Terrified he wouldn't come back. So she followed him._

_"Liu! What are you doing down here? I told you to stay with mom!"_

_"Dad! I'm scared!"_

_"You have to get out of here! The battlefield is no place for children!"_

_Then Liu saw a figure approaching them._

_"Dad! Look out!"_

_Anil turned and saw a young man in a Fire Nation uniform advancing. He quickly sent a huge rock towards the man, who at the same time sent a wave of fire in their direction. Anil stayed in front of his daughter to protect her from the blast._

_"Daddy!"_

Liu woke with a start, and she wasn't the only one. It seemed as though she and Aang must have woken at the same time. Liu gestured towards the ladder up to the deck. The two of them made their way into the starry night.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Liu asked.

"It was just a bad dream."

"Dreams are a window into your subconscious. Tell me what happened."

"I was in the Avatar State, but I was outside my body watching myself. It was scary. I was scary."

Liu put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"So these were genuine memories?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sometimes, when we feel guilty about something, we have dreams about those incidents to remind us that we are not perfect. That we do things we are not always proud of, but we can't let those things stand in our way. We have to learn from them, and grow stronger."

Liu thought of her own dream. _It was all my fault. If I had just stayed put like he said, he might have lived. They both might have lived._

* * *

It was early morning, and the Gaang was getting ready to leave. Master Pakku came up to them for a farewell.

"Katara," he said as he held up a small object, "I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis. The water has unique properties. Don't lose it."

"Thank you, Master Pakku."

Liu elbowed her.

"I mean...grandfather."

"Liu." he turned his attention to the older girl, "I have written a letter to your mother. I look forward to meeting her as soon as I get the chance. Please deliver it to her."

Liu responded by hugging the old man.

"Aang, these scrolls will help you master Waterbending. But remember, they're no substitute for a real master."

Master Pakku then turned his attention to Sokka.

"Sokka. Take care, son." He patted the boy on the shoulder.

Once the four kids, the two Kanga-dogs, and Momo were all settled on Appa, Master Pakku told them to fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the East. There, the Gaang would meet an escort who would take them to Omashu for Aang to begin his Earthbending training with King Bumi.

* * *

The Gaang landed at the Earth Kingdom base, and were warmly welcomed by General Fong.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang! I am General Fong. And welcome to all of you great heroes! Appa, Momo, Boomer and Gio, the valiant Princess Liu, brave Sokka, the mighty Katara."

"_Mighty_ Katara, I like that." Katara whispered to the others.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with fireworks. The last time the Gaang had seen fireworks like those was when they were escaping from a Fire Nation festival, but the fireworks reminded Liu of a different occasion; the last time she had seen fireworks that had not happened right after an escape from a Fire Nation village had been right after the Fire Nation had abandoned the 600 day siege of Ba Sing Se. And once again, Liu was reminded of her dream.

* * *

"Avatar Aang," General Fong spoke after they had all entered the meeting hall of the base, "we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole. I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."

"I try not to think about it too much."

"Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord now."

"What?" Aang's face was a mix of confusion and sheer terror. "No I'm not!"

"Aang still has to master all four elements." Katara pointed out.

"Why?" The general asked. "With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battle-ships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord _now_!"

"But, sir," Sokka spoke up, "the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State."

"See," Aang continued, "it's this special state where-"

"I'm well aware." The general interrupted. "Your eyes and tattoos glow, and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you we'd be slaughtered before we even reached their shores. But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right to the heart of the Fire Nation."

"Right, but, I don't know how to get in or out of the Avatar State. Much less to do once I'm there."

"So it's decided then. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar State, and then you'll face your destiny."

"No, nothing's decided." Katara stated. "We already have a plan. Aang's pursuing _his_ destiny _his_ way."

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on. May I show you something?" He led them over to a window that looked down on a building surrounded by injured troops. "That's the infirmary, and those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back. Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are _dying_, Aang. You could end it. _Now_. Think about it."

Aang looked very conflicted. On the one hand, he was supposed to master the four elements and _then_ face the Fire Lord, and on the other hand, the awesome power he had in the Avatar State had saved countless lives at the North Pole. Liu looked pityingly at the boy, she understood what it was like to not be sure of what to do when people's lives were at stake. She also knew that that is not the kind of pressure a 12-year-old needs. What was to be done?

* * *

Aang entered the bedroom, and all eyes turned to him. He went over and sat on his bed.

"I told the general I'd help him, by going into the Avatar State."

"Aang, no," Katara protested, "this is not the right way."

"Why not?" Sokka asked. "Remember when he took out the Fire Navy? He was _incredible_."

"There's a right way to do this. Practice, study, and discipline."

"Or just glow it up and stop that Fire Lord."

Sensing an argument about to arise, Liu stepped in.

"Guys, listen. I think Katara has a valid point. There's just something about the Avatar State that seems..._unpredictable_. And I think that if Aang uses it, it could get out of hand. He doesn't know how to control it. However, it is still _his_ decision, and if he feels that that is what he must do, then so be it. We should still stand by him to make sure he doesn't get hurt."

* * *

Liu dreamt again that night.

_"Daddy! No!"_

_The man who had meant so much to her, now lay burning in agony on the ground. But he was not the __**only**__ casualty. The man who had attacked them, was now crushed underneath the large boulder that Anil had thrown at him. Troops from both sides came over to assist. The Earth Kingdom troops extinguished the flames and took Liu back to the wall. As she left, she looked back to see the Fire Nation troops removing the boulder from the man, and something else caught her notice. An older man, who was weeping over the dead man and calling him 'son'. It broke Liu's heart to see the pain she had been responsible for. Liu couldn't draw her eyes away from it. The scene was an eternal scar on her life._

* * *

The next morning found them all sitting in a little gazebo, on the hillside near the base. They were all sitting around a little tea-table with General Fong and a medical expert.

"This rare, chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant. In an ordinary warrior it improves strength and energy ten-fold. In you, it may induce the Avatar State."

Liu knew of that tea. This could _not_ end well.

"Ten-fold energy, huh?"

Aang drank the tea, and his eyebrow started twitching. In a matter of moments he was zooming around on his air-scooter, yammering relentlessly.

"Is it working? Is it working? I can't tell! Somebody tell me if I'm in the Avatar State, 'cause I don't have a good view of myself! Am I talking too loud?"

"I guess he could _talk_ the Fire Lord to death." Sokka stated, causing Liu to give a little chuckle.

After they pried Aang off of the pillar he had crashed against, they moved on to another tactic.

* * *

After several failed attempts at triggering the Avatar State, many of which Liu thought were completely stupid and pointless, Liu decided to approach Aang on the matter.

"Aang, can we talk?"

"Sure, Liu."

"Katara told me about how you went into the Avatar State at the Southern Air Temple, after you found Monk Gyatso's skeleton. It must have been so horrible and traumatic for you. And after what I've seen, you seem to be so angry and upset that you aren't even _you_ anymore. You become more like a _weapon_. I'm not saying that the Avatar State doesn't have incredible and helpful powers, it's just that...for us, for your family, seeing you in that much rage and pain is really scary."

"I'm really glad you told me that. But I still need to do this. I have to try it."

"I don't understand."

"No, you don't. Every day, more and more people die. I'm already a hundred years late. Defeating the Fire Lord is the only way to stop this war!"

"Aang, I do understand _that_. I saw my own father die trying to protect me."

"Then you of all people should realize the position I'm in."

"I do. It's just, I think Katara is right that this isn't the way to do this. You're the Avatar, and I will respect your decision; but as the granddaughter of your sister and your best friend, I just want you to reconsider this. Don't forget, that even if you use the Avatar State, it will mean that just as many people in the Fire Nation will die as the Earth Kingdom soldiers already have. And aren't they still humans too?"

With that, Liu left him to think about what had just been said.

* * *

That night, Liu's dreams were of the past once again. Only, it was not the horror and violence that she had been expecting to see.

_It was about a month after the incident at Ba Sing Se. Liu had run off from Omashu to the nearby caves. There she sat, alone in the dark, weeping for her father._

_"Why are you crying, child?"_

_"My daddy's gone, and it's all my fault. And another man lost his son. Even though they were trying to kill us, I didn't want that man to die."_

_A ghostly hand came and rested on her shoulder. Liu looked up and gasped at what she saw. It was a young man in Fire Nation robes, the same one who had killed her father, and the one who had been killed __**by**__ her father. He was looking at her with sympathetic eyes._

_"You?"_

_"Me. I never meant to hurt you, child. And, in a way, your decision saved Ba Sing Se, even at the expense of mine and your father's lives."_

_"But if I had just done what daddy said, then maybe..."_

_"Then maybe, my father would have broken in and even more lives would have been taken. I see now that what my people have been doing is wrong, and I feel horrible that I am the reason you don't have a father anymore. So if you'll let me, I want to be your Spirit Guide. You have a long journey ahead of you, and I want to help you learn what you need for it."_

_"How do I know I can trust you? I mean, you're Fire Nation."_

_The young man smiled at her, and held up his hand. In his palm, he had something. A long string with seashells tied to it. Liu had given that necklace to her daddy._

_"Someone else trusts me. And I think you know he wouldn't trust someone lightly."_

_Liu hugged the spirit. She knew she could trust him._

_"What is your name, little one?"_

_"Liu. What's yours?"_

_"Lu Ten."_

Liu slept better than she had in days.

* * *

Liu was awoken by the sound of loud crashes. She knew that sound all too well. She remembered how Mene, Tekel, and Peres would wake her up in the early hours of the morning with their Earthbending practice, and sometimes it could get a little rough. And from the noise outside, it seemed like a particularly grueling session. Liu sat up and saw Katara.

"Oh, you're awake." _Rumble_. "I wonder what crazy thing they're trying _now_." _Rumble. _"Maybe we should just make sure Aang's okay."

As it turned out, the general had gone a little crazy after Aang had changed his mind, and was now trying to force Aang to go into the Avatar State. When Liu and Katara showed up, the general went after them. Liu was able to evade and repel the Earthbending attacks through Energybending, but Katara wasn't so fortunate. The general used Earthbending to make Katara sink into the ground, as Aang pleaded for him to stop.

"You don't have to _do_ this!"

"Apparently, I _do_."

"Ahhh!" Katara exclaimed as the earth swallowed her. That did it. Aang's eyes and tattoos started glowing and he began to destroy everything in sight.

"It worked! It _worked_!" The general shouted, unaware that Aang seemed unstoppable. The general tried to reason with him, explaining that it was all just a trick to get him into the Avatar State. The general Earthbended Katara out of the ground, to show that she was fine. But Aang didn't stop, at least, not for a while. Liu was horrified, it was like the terrors she had seen the day she lost her father all over again. But finally, Aang calmed. Liu ran over and hugged him.

"I'm sorry, Liu. I hope you _never_ have to see me like that again."

"Hah!" The general interrupted. "Are you joking? That was almost _perfect_! We just have to find out a way to control you when you're like that."

"You're out of your mind."

"I guess we'll figure it out on the way to the Fire Nation."

_Thump_

Sokka had ridden an ostrich horse up behind the general and promptly thumped him with his club, knocking him out.

"Anybody got a problem with that?"

The other Earth Kingdom soldiers all shook their heads.

* * *

That night, as the Gaang flew off in the direction of Omashu, Liu decided to pay a visit to someone.

_Before he could even ask why she had come, Liu ran up and hugged him. Although taken aback, he returned it._

_"I'm so sorry, Lu Ten. I never meant for you to die. I don't like seeing people die. I don't like seeing people angry and hate-filled."_

_"I don't either. Liu, what brought this on?"_

_She wiped away her tears._

_"I just wanted to tell you, that I think of you as if you were my own brother. I love you like one. And I'm sorry I've been so angry at you for not warning me about Yue's death. But I'll listen now. I don't want to stay angry. You did what you had to."_

_Lu Ten smiled at her._

_"Tell you what. How about we have a nice game of Pai Sho and some nice hot tea?"_

_"That sounds like an excellent suggestion."_

**And so the dark secrets of Liu's past come forth. She's not perfect after all. Yes, I decided to give Liu Katara's job in this episode of giving Aang a much needed wake-up call about not using the Avatar State when he can't control it. The name I gave to Liu's father, 'Anil', is a Tibetan name that means 'Air' or 'Wind', I chose it because his mom's an Airbender, I found it on some name website that had a list of Tibetan names (a number of Avatar names were on it, mostly Airbender names.). See ya.**


	20. The Cave of Two Lovers

Helping Hand

**Ah, back with another chapter. I was looking forward to this one. Yes, once again my character will interfere with Kataang. Just wait and see. Redbayly does not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Cave of Two Lovers

"You guys are gonna be done soon, right?" Sokka asked Aang and Katara, as he floated lazily on a giant leaf that he was using as a pool floatie in the river. "We've got a lot of ground to cover if we want to make it to Omashu today."

"What, like you're ready to go _right now_, naked guy?" Katara asked.

"I can be ready in two minutes. Seriously, whenever."

Katara and Aang returned to their lesson. Katara was teaching Aang the Octopus form. Liu was observing, but was also swimming a few laps in the water. Liu noticed, with distaste, that Aang was blushing as Katara helped him with his stance. Liu had thought that Aang would get over his little crush on Katara after the revelation that Liu and Katara were cousins. Liu ran through in her mind what possible reasons those two would ever have for ending up together, and it came up zilch. Soon, the group's reverie was broken by the sound of singing.

_"Don't fall in love with the travellin' girl,_

_she'll leave you broke, and broken-hearted."_

Upon seeing the four youngsters, the group of newcomers stopped.

"Hey, river people." A vibrantly dressed man said.

"We're not river people." Katara pointed out.

"You're not? Then what kinda people are you?"

"Just...people." Aang answered.

"Aren't we all, brother?"

Sokka proceeded to approach the man.

"Who are _you_?"

"I'm Chong. And this is my wife Lily. We're nomads. Happy to go wherever the wind takes us."

Chong then played a spastic tune on his guitar.

"You guys are nomads?" Aang asked. "That's _great_! _I'm_ a nomad."

"Hey, me too."

"I _know_, you just said that."

"Oh." Chong then took notice of what Sokka was wearing. "Nice underwear."

The embarrassed Water Tribe boy used Momo to shield himself.

Liu rolled her eyes. _Nomads? Hah! These people are hippies. Sokka is __**not**__ gonna like this encounter. Hippies defy reason and sense._

* * *

They all gathered around Appa, to relax and listen to the nomads' stories and songs.

Sokka, who by now was fully clothed along with the others, came stomping over.

"Hey, Sokka," Aang said to the older boy, "you should here some of these stories. These guys have been _everywhere_."

"Well, not everywhere, little Arrow-head." Chong pointed out. "But where we haven't been, we've heard about through stories and songs."

"They said they'll take us to see a _giant_ night-crawler."

"On the way," said a rather portly man, named Moku, "there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow."

"Look, I hate to be the wet-blanket here," said Sokka, "but since Katara and Liu are busy, I guess it's up to _me_." Katara and Liu were, in fact, having their hair braided with flowers. Liu might not entirely agree with the hippie lifestyle, but she had to admit they knew how to accessorize. At Sokka's comment, though, both girls shot him glares. "We need to get to Omashu. No sidetracks, no worms, and _definitely_ no rainbows."

"Whoa," said Chong, "looks like someone's got a case of _destination fever_. Hehe. You're worried too much about where you're goin'."

Chong's wife then spoke.

"You've gotta focus less on the 'where', and more on the 'going'."

"_O_-_ma_-_shu_." Sokka stated sternly.

"Sokka's right," Liu said, "we need to find my grandfather, King Bumi, so that Aang can learn Earthbending somewhere safe."

"Sounds like you're headed to Omashu." Chong said.

Sokka did a facepalm.

"There's an old story about a secret pass, right through the mountains."

"Oh, I know about that." Liu stated. "The Cave of the Two Lovers, right?"

"Is this real, or a legend?" Asked Katara.

"Well, Katara, I've been to the cave myself, so, yeah."

"Yep," said Chong, "and it's as old as Earthbending itself."

Chong began to sing.

_"Two lovers,_

_forbidden from one another,_

_a war divides their people._

_And a mountain divides them apart._

_Built a path to be together..._

"Yeah I forget the next couple lines, but then it goes:"

_"Secret tunnel!_

_Secret tunnel!_

_Through the mountain!_

_Secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel! Yeah."_

Sokka appeared unmoved by the song, but Liu was actually quite happy as the song was about an ancient legend surrounding her home.

"I think we'll just stick with flying." Sokka said.

"Uh, Sokka," Liu said, "are you sure that's a good idea, what with the Fire Nation after us. And, I mean, I know those caves. I used to explore them a lot when I was little, along with one of my cousins."

"You'll have to be more specific when you say 'cousins'."

Liu just rolled her eyes.

"I'm just saying, maybe it would be safer."

"We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine."

"Sokka, what was it you said a while back about 'instincts'? Well, mine are telling me to go through the tunnel."

"Yeah Liu," said Aang, "Appa hates going underground, and we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable."

"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up, unless you decide to change your minds." Liu said.

* * *

"Secret love-cave, let's go." Said a very defeated, very singed Sokka. Liu brightened, she knew that she had heard some sort of warning signal go off in her head.

The Gaang and the hippie-nomads made their way to the legendary cave.

"How far are we from the tunnel?" Asked Sokka.

"Actually, it's not just _one_ tunnel." Answered Chong. "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built a whole labyrinth."

"Labyrinth?"

"Ah, I'm sure we'll figure it out."

"Just remember," Liu added, "all you have to do is trust in love. According to the curse, anyway."

Sokka stopped, had a spastic moment, then whined.

"_Curse_?"

"Hey hey, we're here." Chong called.

"What exactly _is_ this curse?" Asked Sokka.

"According to the ancient legend," Liu continued, "the lovers placed the curse on the cave to guard their secret and ward off intruders. It's said that only those who trust in love can make it through the labyrinth safely, otherwise you'll be lost in it forever. Oh, and die."

"Hey," said Chong, "I just remembered the rest of that song:"

_"And diiiiiie."_

"That's _it_!" Sokka shouted. "There's _no way_ we're going through some cursed hole."

"Hey, someone's makin' a big campfire." Moku said, pointing to a large trail of smoke in the distance.

"That's no campfire, Moku." Katara stated.

"It's the Fire Nation." Sokka concluded. "They're tracking us."

"Okay, everyone into the 'cursed hole', as my cousin so bluntly called it." Liu said. "I'm sure I can help us find our way."

They all followed her lead. Once they were all inside, they heard a loud rumbling and the entrance sealed up behind them. The Fire Nation had trapped them in the tunnel.

* * *

While Appa pawed desperately at the mountain of rubble, Katara tried to soothe him. Even Boomer and Gio were getting nervous, and Liu held them affectionately to keep them calm.

"We will be fine." Sokka assured everyone. "All we need is a plan. Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"About two hours each."

"And we have five torches," Lily pointed out, "So that's" she lit all the torches "ten hours."

"It doesn't work like that if they're all lit at the same time." Sokka said as he extinguished the torches.

"Oh, right."

"I'm gonna make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and get through."

"Won't work." Liu said.

"And why not?"

"Mapping out _these_ tunnels is like drinking tea from a sugar cup. Impossible. No sooner do you think you've gone a different way than you end up right back where you started. These tunnels never stay the same for too long."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Sokka, do I need to spell it out for you? The tunnels _change_."

"That's ridiculous. Let's just follow my plan, and we'll get through."

"Why do I feel as though no one listens to me?"

* * *

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead-end you've led us to." Katara said, as her brother looked at the map from different angles.

"This doesn't make any sense, we already came through this way."

"We don't need a map." Said Chong. "We just need love. The little guy knows it." Chong pointed to Aang.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map also."

"There's something strange here." Sokka pointed out. "There's only one explanation. Liu, you were right. The tunnels _are_ changing."

Liu made a hand gesture that seemed to indicate a sarcastic 'thank you', while everyone else stated to freak out at the sound of a loud rumble.

"The tunnels. They're a changin'." Said Chong. "Ah it must be the curse. I knew we shouldn'ta come down here."

"Right, if only we'd listened to _you_." Sokka replied sarcastically.

"Everyone be quiet." Katara ordered. "Listen."

They all heard an eerie moaning sound. Cautiously, Sokka held up the torch. All of a sudden, a creature flew towards them.

"It's a giant, flying thing with teeth." Chong declared.

"No! It's a Wolfbat!" Liu shouted.

As the Wolfbat attacked, Sokka used the torch to try and scare it off. Unfortunately, he dropped it and it landed on Appa's foot, causing the bison to go into a rampage. Appa's little panic attack caused the walls of the cave to start to crumble. As the rubble started to fall, Liu noticed Katara was right in its path, and dove in to push her out of harm's way. When the cave-in finally stopped, the Gaang was separated. Katara, Liu, Appa, and the two Kanga-dogs on one side, and everyone else on the other.

* * *

Katara, Liu, and the three animals made their way down the long tunnel.

"Liu, do you know the way?"

"This is not the most familiar route to me. And don't forget, I haven't been here in about six years. There's some sort of trick to finding one's way out, but I just can't seem to remember."

Katara then spotted something up ahead of them.

"Liu, look!" She pointed to an ornate, sealed, passageway. "Maybe that's the way out!"

The two girls went over and tried to push it open, but it wouldn't budge. Appa then decided that _he_ would give it a try, and ran head-long at the passage. It eased open, but it wasn't the way out.

"I know this place." Liu said. "It's a tomb." She knelt down on the ground in a kowtow, whispering prayers for the departed.

After Liu had finished saying her payers, the two girls descended to where the two crypts were.

Liu led Katara up to the inscription on the base of the dual graves.

"This is the memorial of the two lovers. The inscription tells their story, but I already know it. Long ago, a man and a woman from two warring tribes fell in love. Their love was so strong that they found a way to be together. They learned Earthbending from the Badger-moles, and together they carved the tunnels, anyone who tried to follow them would be lost forever. One day, the man didn't come, he had been killed in the war. In her grief, the woman unleashed a terrible display of her Earthbending, she could have destroyed them all. Instead, she declared the war over. The two tribes united and built a new city. The woman's name was Oma, and the man's name was Shu. The city was named Omashu in their memory. Oma was made the first ruler of the city, and the son she had conceived by her lover followed her, teaching Earthbending to those born with the potential for it. Every ruler of Omashu is descended from the two lovers, and Earthbending has been an art that was passed down ever since."

Liu turned their torch to the far wall, where a statue of her two ancestors was displayed proudly in a kissing scene.

"Love is brightest in the dark."

* * *

As the girls started to make their way down the adjoining tunnel, they noticed that the torch was going out. Liu was suddenly struck by a thought.

"Hey, I just thought of something."

"What?"

"Well, if my ancestors used the path to meet for love, and there was a statue of them kissing, what if...we imagined we were kissing someone. And not just any someone. What if we tried to imagine the right guy, the man we dream of."

"It couldn't hurt."

"I bet I can imagine _your_ type, Katara. Tall, handsome, mysterious, with a touch of danger. A capable fighter, maybe even a powerful Bender." Liu noticed Katara started to blush. "Maybe he even has some sort of battle scars, you know, to show how brave he is. Maybe a tragic past as well. Someone who won't rely totally on you like you're a mommy, a mature man who sees you like an equal, perhaps even an opponent."

"And what about _you_?"

"Oh, I like someone already. You know him."

"I think I can guess. Was it that Earthbender, Haru, the one you said was so cute?"

Now it was Liu's turn to blush.

"Just start picturing already."

The two girls closed their eyes, and tried to imagine the young men of their dreams. Neither of them noticed the torch going out, as they imagined what it would be like to kiss their imaginary men. When they opened their eyes, the room was bathed in an aqua glow from the crystals that protruded from the ceiling.

"Of course!" Liu shouted. "I can't believe I'd forgotten about the crystals. The lovers in the story would extinguish their torches and follow the crystals to get to their meeting place. The crystals only light up in the dark. I'm am so _stupid_ for forgetting that."

"That must be the way out!" Katara declared, pointing in the direction of the crystal path.

The two girls hugged, then proceeded to follow the crystals out of the cave.

* * *

"How did you guys get out?" Asked Sokka.

"Just like the legend says," Liu answered, "we let love lead the way."

"Really? We let huge, ferocious beasts lead _our_ way." He indicated to the Badger-moles.

"Why is your forehead all red?" Katara asked.

All of a sudden, Chong came up to the three teens.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you. I think that kid might be the Avatar." He gestured towards Aang.

Sokka did a facepalm.

"So, are you guys gonna come to Omashu with us?" Aang asked.

"Nope." Moku answered.

"Okay. Thanks for everything, Moku."

"Sokka," Chong said, as he put his flowered lei around the boy's neck, "I hope you learned a little something about not letting the _plans_ get in the way of the _journey_."

"Just play your songs." Sokka replied.

"Hey! Good plan!"

Chong launched off into another song as he and his companions departed.

_"Even if your lost_

_you can't_

_lose the love_

_because it's in your heart."_

* * *

"The journey was _long_ and _annoying_," Sokka said as the group ascended the hill, "but now you get to see what it's really about. The destination. I present to you, the Earth Kingdom city of O-" he paused and stared at the sight before them, "oh-no."

The Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, Liu's home, had been conquered by the Fire Nation.

**Yes, I stopped Kataang dead in its tracks. And I thought that Liu would know the story of the two lovers already, and even add a little extra detail. How will Liu react to seeing her home has been conquered by the Fire Nation? Wait and see.**


	21. Return to Omashu

Helping Hand

**Omashu is now in the hands of the Fire Nation, you can bet Liu is none too happy about this. This is a very important chapter, so keep reading. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Return to Omashu

Liu sunk to her knees, she couldn't believe it. Her city, her _home_, had been taken away on her second return in five years. Her Kanga-dogs nuzzled her in concern. She didn't know what to do, didn't know whether to cry or stay strong. In her childhood, she had been more prone to letting her emotions out, she preferred to wear her heart on her sleeve than keep her emotions bottled up. And now, seeing that the Fire Nation had taken away something so important to her, she felt the darker part of her mind come forth, violent hate-filled images of hurting the people responsible for this. But Liu tried to temper her anger, remembering that revenge leads to no good end.

"I can't believe it." Said Aang. "I know the war has spread far, but Omashu always seemed...untouchable."

"Up until now it _was_." Sokka responded. "Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left."

"This is horrible." Katara said. She turned to Liu. "Liu, are you alright?"

"As alright as a person _can_ be when their home has been taken away."

Katara looked at her sadly.

"We have to move on."

"No." Aang said sternly. "I'm going in to find Bumi and Yin-Yin."

"Aang stop." Sokka warned. "We don't even know if they're still..."

"If they're _what_?" Liu demanded. "If my grandparents are still _what_, Sokka?"

"Around."

"_Around_? Just go on and _say it_! You think they're dead, don't you?"

Sokka hung his head.

"I'm going with Aang to find my grandparents and my mother. What would _you_ do Sokka if your family was in trouble? Heck, my mother is your _aunt_ for spirits' sake! This isn't about finding an Earthbending teacher, this is about finding our loved ones."

* * *

"A secret passage?" Asked Sokka. "Why didn't we just use this last time?"

Aang pried open the metal passage, and instantly a foul-smelling substance came out.

"Does _that_ answer your question?" Aang asked.

Aang led them through the sewage pipe. Aang, Liu, and Katara were able to use their Bending to deflect the onslaught of sewage; unfortunately, Sokka wasn't so lucky. It was nightfall when they emerged from the sewage hatch. Sokka came out covered in so much goop that at first the other three mistook him for some kind of muck-monster. After Aang and Katara got the stuff off of him, Sokka realized that some little purple things had attached to his face and he started to panic. Liu quickly slammed a hand over his mouth.

"Shh, don't make so much noise."

"Yeah," Aang added, "it's just a purple penta-pus." Aang tickled the little creatures and they let go, leaving some freckle-like marks on his face and neck. As Sokka rubbed the spots where the creatures had been removed, the four kids heard someone coming.

"Hey." They all turned and saw some Fire Nation guards, they quickly tried to act casual, Aang hid the tattoo on his head with an orange cloth. "What are you kids doing out past curfew?"

"We're so sorry, sir." Liu said. "We were working a little late and it was night by the time we left. We were just on our way home now."

They all turned and started to walk away, when the guard noticed the marks on Sokka's face.

"Wait, what's the matter with _him_?"

Liu noticed the marks.

"Oh, my cousin here has a nasty case of Penta-pox. Don't get too close. It's highly contagious."

Sokka, picking up on her charade, started acting sick.

"Ughh, it's so awful I'm dying."

"And deadly."

"Hey, I think I've heard of Penta-pox." The guard said. He then turned to one of his compatriots. "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it? We'd better go wash our hands, and burn our clothes." The guards all became afraid and ran for it.

The Gaang then proceeded up to where a construction project was going on. Liu felt disgusted when she saw that the Fire Nation was building a statue of Fire Lord Ozai in her city. As they went along, trying to figure out where the Fire Nation could be keeping Bumi, they spotted some people walking down below; suddenly, a large boulder was heading straight for them. Thinking quickly, Aang Airbended the boulder out of the way. Then they heard a shout from below.

"The Resistance!"

Before they knew it, a bunch of arrows and stilettos were launched in their direction. They ran for it as Fire Nation guards and some crazy knife-throwing girl came after them. Just as a bunch of knives were about to hit them, the Gaang found themselves Earthbended underground.

* * *

"Princess Liu," one of the rebels said, "I'm pleased to see that you and the Avatar have returned, though I wish it were under better circumstances."

"My family, are they...?"

"Your mother and Queen Yin-Yin are waiting with the other rebels, follow me."

"And my grandfather?"

"Yeah," Aang added, "is King Bumi with you guys?" He was met by silent stares. "Is he leading the Resistance?"

"Of course not." The man, who seemed to be in charge answered. "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to defend our city. To fight for our lives and for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi _surrendered_."

The four kids were shocked.

"Wow," Liu said, "we all know my grandpa is crazy. But I didn't think he was _that_ crazy."

"The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said 'I'm going to do _nothing_'. It doesn't matter now. Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

"Actually, there's another path to freedom." Aang pointed out. "You could leave Omashu. You're directing all your energy into fighting the Fire Nation. But you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat so you can live to fight another day."

"You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at _any_ cost. Princess Liu, I'm sure _you_ realize what I'm saying."

"I do, but Aang has a point. When I first saw what happened to the city, I was devastated. All I could think about, at first, was all the cruel ways I could get revenge on the Fire Nation for what they did. But revenge isn't the answer. Now _is_ the time to retreat. I don't know what was going through my grandfather's mind when he surrendered, heck, I don't even know what he's thinking half the time in a normal situation, but I know that we need to listen to the Avatar. And, as your Crown Princess, that's an order."

The other rebels started to offer their support.

"Fine. But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How are we gonna get them all out?"

"Suckers!" Sokka exclaimed, drawing curious glances. "You're all about to come down with a nasty case of Penta-pox."

* * *

Sokka's plan was brilliant. Before nightfall, the people of Omashu has successfully convinced the Fire Nation troops that there was a plague, and were all out of the city. When they had safely established a camp, Liu ran over to her mom and grandmother.

"I was so worried...when I saw...I thought..." The three women hugged each other so that seemed that they would never let go.

"Mom," Liu continued, "when I went to the North Pole, I found my other grandpa." Liu handed her mother the letter. After that little meeting was over, Liu decided to join Aang on his search for Bumi.

"Liu," Yin-Yin said, "take this with you." She handed her granddaughter her staff. "It's my glider. I think I'm too old to be flying." Liu smiled and hugged her grandmother, then took off into the sky.

* * *

"Where's Liu?" Aang asked.

"We thought she would be with _you_." Katara said.

"Liu went off to try and find Bumi." Yin-Yin stated. "She hasn't come back yet."

"Maybe she'll meet us when we go to trade the governor's son for Bumi?" Aang suggested.

"Or," Sokka interjected, "maybe she got captured."

"Liu is not that easy to trap." Yin-Yin pointed out.

"All the same," Manna said, "I want to go with you. And not just on this mission. I want to join your travels. I want to stay with my daughter."

"Lady Manna-" Sokka started to say.

"_Aunt_ Manna." She corrected. "We're family. Your father is my brother. And I insist upon coming. Perhaps Katara can even teach _me_ Waterbending as I never had a master."

There was no stopping her. When Lady Manna made up her mind, there was no shaking it.

* * *

"And there _is_ no more Omashu." Princess Azula said. "I'm renaming it in honor of my father. The city of New Ozai."

"Conceited much." Everyone turned to look at the figure standing in the doorway.

"And just who are you?"

The ginger-haired girl came forward. Fierce determination in her grey-blue eyes.

"Allow me to formally introduce myself. Princess Liu-rong of the Na family, granddaughter of King Bumi, and Crown Princess of the great Earth Kingdom city of Omashu."

"_Former_ Earth Kingdom city I think you mean. You're very brave by showing up like this. Brave, and foolish. Perhaps with you as a prisoner we can have tighter control over this place."

"I wouldn't be so cocky, _little girl_, I am stronger than you could possibly imagine."

"No amount of Earthbending can intimidate _me_!"

"Now who ever said I was an _Earthbender_."

With that, Liu sent an air strike at her. Although Azula dodged it easily, she was taken aback. She shot a wave of blue fire at the girl, but it didn't even touch her. Liu just stood perfectly still, and the flames reversed back towards Azula.

"What the..?"

"Is that _really_ the best you've got? It's amazing that the Fire Nation has been keeping this war up for so long. But of course, the _bad guys_ never win."

"What do mean 'bad guys', you weaklings are just inferior to us."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you need to tell yourself. Oh, and what's this I hear about a 'trade'?"

The governor stood up.

"Your band of rebels kidnapped my son!"

Liu looked over and recognized the governor's wife and daughter as the people that Aang had saved the night before.

"Uh, I doubt that. The plan was just to get everyone out of the city. In fact, if it hadn't been for me and my friends, you're wife and children would have been killed by that boulder the other night."

The governor and his wife were both shocked, their daughter, on the other hand, just stayed stoic.

"Anyway," Liu continued, "I just came here to find out where my grandfather is. Thanks for telling me about this trade thing. I have some friends to meet up with. Bye."

With that said, Liu escaped before Azula could order Mai and Ty-Lee to capture her.

* * *

"Liu! Oh thank goodness you're safe."

"Come on mom, you know me better than that. I'm not about to let some Fire Nation _punks_ lock me up."

They all waited in front of the large statue that was being built in the likeness of the Fire Lord, when three figures emerged. At the head of the three was the somber-faced governor's daughter. The Gaang looked up to see King Bumi being lowered down in a metal box.

"Hi everybody!"

"Grandpa!" Liu called out.

"Hi Liu, good to see you again!"

Bumi was lowered so that he was right behind the three girls.

"Have you brought my brother?"

"He's here!" Aang called back. "We're ready to trade!"

"I'm sorry," Princess Azula interrupted, "but a thought just occurred to me. Do you mind?"

"Of course not, Princess Azula."

"We're trading a 2-year-old for a king, a powerful Earthbending king. It just doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?"

"You're right. The deal's off!"

Aang zoomed up to rescue Bumi as he was being taken away once again. Unfortunately, Aang accidentally revealed his identity as the Avatar, which led to a full-scale attack.

In the end, they managed to get away. It turned out that Bumi was simply waiting for the right moment to strike, it just wasn't at _that_ time. After they had escaped, Aang waited until nightfall, when he took the governor's son back to his family. Liu was happy that her mother had decided to join them, and was proud that she now possessed her grandmother's old air-glider. Together, the Gaang headed off to try and find Aang a new Earthbending teacher. Liu also had a feeling that this would not be the last time they would see those three Fire Nation girls.

**Okay, I really just summarized the ending. That scene where Liu revealed her identity may have seemed random, but it will be important to remember that Azula now knows how formidable an opponent she is and how valuable she would be as a prisoner. Hope you liked it, and please review.**


	22. The Swamp

Helping Hand

**Okay, I'm am definitely going to try and put up as many chapters as I can. If you all remember in the last chapter, Liu's mom is going to be going with them, for a while at least. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender, nor do I own Edgar Allen Poe's ****The Raven****.**

The Swamp

They had all been flying for some time, currently they were over the Foggy Swamp. Everyone was just sort of doing anything they could; Sokka was sharpening his machete, Manna was studying some Waterbending scrolls with Katara, and Liu and Aang were sitting on Appa's head driving. That is of course, until the two Airbenders saw a weird light that seemed beckon to them, and without even realizing it they were heading down towards it.

"Hey, you guys taking us down for a reason?" Sokka asked.

Neither responded.

"Aang? Liu? Why are we going _down_?"

That shook them back into consciousness.

"What?" Aang asked. "I didn't even notice."

"Me neither." Liu added.

"Are you noticing _now_?" Asked Sokka.

"Is something wrong?" Asked Manna.

"I know this is gonna sound weird," Aang replied, "but I think the swamp is calling to me."

"I feel it too, Aang." Liu concurred.

"Is it telling you where we could get something to eat?" Sokka asked.

"Sokka, is food really all you can think about?"

"I think it wants us to land there." Aang said.

"No offense to the swamp," Sokka said, "but I don't see any land there to land _on_."

"I don't know. Bumi said to learn Earthbending I would have to wait and listen. And now I'm actually _hearing_ the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?"

"Guys, I think we should land." Liu said. "Something's telling me the same thing, and we all know what happens when we ignore the little voice in our heads. My mom can vouch for that."

Manna scowled, her daughter was still bringing up the fact that she so often chose to ignore the little voice that she sometimes heard, which often led to unfortunate consequences.

"I don't know," Katara spoke up, "there's something ominous about that place.

As they all looked down at the swamp, Appa let out an uneasy groan, Momo started to chitter nervously, and Boomer and Gio started to whimper.

"See," said Sokka, "even Appa, Momo, Boomer, and Gio don't like it here."

"Okay." Aang conceded. "Since most everyone feels so strongly about this, bye swamp. Yip-Yip."

As Aang started to steer them away, they suddenly heard a loud noise and when they all turned there was a tornado coming right for them. The tornado sucked them in and no matter how hard Aang tried to Airbend them out it didn't work, the pull was too strong. The tornado was so strong it removed all the passengers from the saddle, the only way Boomer and Gio stayed on was because of their sharp claws. The tornado spun them around several times before spitting them out into the swamp. Aang and Liu were able to land comfortably, thanks to their Airbending, but the other three were just lucky enough not to get severely injured.

As Aang climbed up to the tree-tops to try and find the missing animals, the other four were left waiting down below.

"Sokka," Manna pointed out, "you have an elbow leech."

"Where? Where?" The boy asked frantically.

"Where do you think?" Katara replied.

"Why do things keep attaching to me?" He yelled as he pulled off the offending parasite.

"Because they like you?" Liu suggested.

As Sokka glared at her, Aang swung down on a vine.

"You couldn't find them?" Manna asked.

"No." Aang replied. "And the tornado, it just disappeared."

"I have to say, _that _is very disturbing."

The Gaang decided to start trying to find a way out. Sokka took out his machete and began swinging it at the mess of vines in their path.

"We'd better speed things up!"

"Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp." Aang suggested.

"Aang, these are just plants! Do you want me to say 'please' and 'thank-you' as I swing my machete back and forth?"

"Uh, Sokka," Liu spoke up, "maybe you should listen to Aang. Something about this place feels..._alive_."

"I'm that there are lots of things that are _alive_ here. And if we don't wanna wind up getting _eaten_ by them, we need to find Appa as fast as we can."

Sokka returned to slicing at the vines, much to the others' unease.

* * *

It was getting dark, and still no sign of the animals.

"Appa! Momo!" Katara called.

"Boomer, Gio!" Liu hollered.

Manna tried to whistle for the Kanga-dogs, but still nothing.

"There's no way they can hear us." Sokka pointed out. "And no way we can see _them_. We'll have to make camp for the night." Sokka was suddenly attacked by a barrage of bugs, causing him to swing at them frantically with his machete.

"What was _that_?" Katara inquired nervously as a puff of swamp gas came up.

"Just some swamp gas, Katara." Liu answered.

"There's nothing supernatural going on here." Sokka stated.

No sooner were those words out of his mouth, than a terrifying shriek was heard. None of them knew it was just a shrieking swamp-bird.

"I think we should build a fire." Sokka then proceeded to chop at some tree roots.

"Sokka," Aang spoke up, "the longer we're here, the more I think you shouldn't be doing that."

"No, I asked the swamp. It said this was fine. Right swamp? _No problem Sokka_." He then returned to collecting the firewood, while the others looked unsure.

They made a little campsite in a large hollow tree. As the night wore on, everyone seemed a bit shaken. The kids all instinctively moved closer to Manna, as she was the only adult present. Manna herself was a little off-put by the creepy swamp, but she kept a brave face and let the children look to her for reassurance. Liu decided to try and lighten the mood a bit.

"You know, this might be a perfect opportunity to tell scary stories."

"This is a _horrible_ time for that!" Sokka responded.

"C'mon Sokka, I have a great little poem I remember. It's super creepy."

"No!"

"Okay, here it goes:

_Once upon a midnight dreary,_

_while I pondered, weak and weary,_

_over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,_

_while I nodded, nearly napping,_

_suddenly, there came a tapping."_

Liu tapped on the tree.

_"As of someone gently rapping,_

_rapping at my chamber door._

_'Tis some visitor'_

_I muttered_

_'tapping at my chamber door._

_Only this, and nothing more.'_

_Ah, distinctly I remember,_

_it was in the bleak December,_

_and each separate, dying ember,_

_wrought its ghost upon the floor._

_Eagerly, I wished the morrow,_

_vainly I had sought to borrow_

_from my books surcease of sorrow,_

_sorrow for the lost Lenore._

_For the rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels named Lenore._

_Nameless here forever more._

_And the silken, sad, uncertain,_

_rustling of each purple curtain,_

_thrilled me-filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before._

_So that now, to still the beating of my heart I stood repeating,_

_'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,_

_some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,_

_this it is, and nothing more.'_

_Presently, my soul grew stronger._

_Hesitating then no longer._

_'Sir,' said I, 'or madam,_

_surely your forgiveness I implore._

_But the fact is I was napping,_

_and so gently you came rapping,_

_and so faintly you came tapping,_

_tapping at my chamber door,_

_that I scarce was sure I heard you.' Here I opened wide the door._

_Darkness there, and nothing more."_

By now, everyone was getting freaked out; even Manna, who had been the one who taught the poem to her daughter in the first place, was becoming more and more unnerved. But Liu seemed not to notice, or if she did she ignored it, she loved to creep people out, it was one of the downsides to being a Spirit Well.

_"Deep into that darkness peering,_

_long I stood there, wondering, fearing,_

_doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before._

_But the silence was unbroken,_

_and the stillness gave no token,_

_and the only word there spoken_

_was the whispered word 'Lenore?'_

_This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word 'Lenore'._

_Merely this, and nothing more._

_Back into the chamber turning,_

_all my soul within me burning,_

_soon again I heard a tapping, something louder than before."_

Liu tapped on the tree, louder than the first time.

_"'Surely,' said I, 'surely, that is something at my window lattice,_

_let me see then what thereat is, and this mystery explore._

_Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore,_

_tis the wind and nothing more.'_

_Open here I flung the shutter,_

_when, with many a flirt and flutter,_

_in there stepped a stately raven of the saintly days of yore._

_Not the least obeisance made he,_

_not a minute stopped or stayed he,_

_but with mien of lord or lady,_

_perched above my chamber door,_

_perched upon a bust of Pallas, just above my chamber door._

_Perched, and sat, and nothing more."_

"Alright Liu," Manna spoke up, "I think that is enough."

"But mom, I was just getting to the part where the raven starts talking, and the man goes insane with longing for his dead girlfriend."

This reply caused Sokka to twitch. Liu then realized the error she had made in telling _this_ particular poem.

"Oh my gosh! Sokka, I am _so_ sorry. I forgot that this poem might hit too close to home for you."

"It's okay, Liu."

"Does anyone get the feeling that we're being watched?" Katara asked.

"Please, we're all alone out here." Sokka started swinging at another insect, which then illuminated the area around them, showing off hundreds of eyes watching them.

"Except for them." Aang said worriedly.

"Right, except for them."

Everyone huddled up. Manna wrapped her arms about the four children, protectively.

Slowly, everyone started to fall asleep.

* * *

Before anyone realized what was happening, they all found themselves being dragged away by vines that had wrapped around them while they slept. As they were being dragged off, they each managed to get out of the grasp of the vines, only to find themselves completely separated.

Liu had broken free of the vines by Airbending around her and jumping away as the vines retracted. After she got as far away from the attacking foliage as she could, she saw that she was all alone.

"Guys?"

No answer. Soon she saw the fog clearing, and a figure was standing not too far off. Liu approached cautiously, but seeing the green robes the man was wearing she knew he wasn't a threat.

"Hello? Can you help me? I lost my friends and my mom, and I was just-"

She froze. She would know that man anywhere. The mess of copper hair that had been tied in place with a green head-band, the slouching shoulders, the royal green robes that had yellow swirl patterns on it as a testimony to his Air Nomad heritage.

"Daddy? No, this is...I saw you die...and even if you _were_ here you would be a spirit and all glowy and stuff. No. This is just some weird swamp hallucination."The figure turned, it really did look like her father, but she knew it wasn't real. "Stop it! Leave me alone! You're not here!" Liu felt the tears starting to burn her eyes, so she shut them and tried to block out the image.

_"Liu. Little princess."_

Liu kept her eyes shut.

"No. I'm not listening! You aren't my father so just leave me alone!"

Liu opened her eyes and there was no one there. Liu decided that now was probably a good time to summon her Spirit Guide.

_"Hello Liu."_

"Hey Lu Ten. Do you have any ideas about how I can get out of here? Or maybe tell me why I just saw a vision of my father?"

_"Your father? That's impossible. He moved on to the Higher Plain years ago. His spirit was no longer bound to the Spirit World."_

"I knew it was just a hallucination. But, the 'Higher Plain', you never told me about that."

_"It is where spirits go when they no longer have something that keeps them trapped between life and death. The Spirit World is where beings who have not yet earned the right to move on are kept until such time as they are permitted to. Your father died protecting you, and in doing that he was allowed to go to the Higher Plain. I was not given that honor, as I died because of my own selfish actions. Now, about helping you out of here..."_

* * *

Not too far off, Lady Manna was having her own problems.

"Liu! Children! Where are you?" The fog was very thick, and it was hard to see. Suddenly, Manna heard something that sounded like weeping. "Who's there?" She squinted through the fog and saw the outline of a figure. As she approached, she felt as though she knew who it was. "Who are you?"

_"Why did you leave us, Manna? You weren't there to help us...to help __**her**__."_

Manna looked closer, and then it hit her.

"Hakoda?"

_"You abandoned us. Kya died because of __**you**__."_

"No! You can't blame me for that! I left because I wasn't a part of that life!"

She started heading straight for the shadowy figure, but as soon as she got there, she saw it was nothing more than a tree stump.

* * *

"Ahh!"

"Oof!"

"What the...?"

Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Manna all fell in a heap after the monk had tried to tackle the vision of the little girl he had seen.

"Oh, there you guys are!" Liu shouted as she looked down from her perch on one of the missive tree roots. She gracefully leapt down to them. "I've been looking all over for you."

"You've been looking for _us_?" Sokka exclaimed. "I've been looking for you guys too!"

"Me too!" Shouted Katara.

"I was chasing some girl." Aang said.

"What girl?" Asked Manna.

"I dunno. I heard laughing and I saw some girl in a fancy dress."

"Well there must be a tea-party here and we just didn't get our invitations." Sokka said jokingly.

"I thought I saw mom." Katara said, causing the others to tense up.

"I saw Hakoda." Manna said, drawing the gazes of her niece and nephew.

"And I saw my father." Liu added.

"Look," Sokka said, "we were all just scared, and hungry, and our minds were playing tricks on us. That's why we all saw things out here."

"You saw something too?" Asked Katara.

"I thought I saw Yue, but that doesn't prove anything. Look, I think about her all the time. And the rest of you all saw people you miss a lot."

"What about _me_?" Aang asked. "I didn't know the girl I saw. And all our visions led us right here."

"Okay, so where's _here_?" Katara asked.

"The middle of the swamp." Liu answered.

"Yeah," Aang agreed, "the center."

"It _is_ the heart of the swamp. I guess it's been calling us here."

"It's just a _tree_." Sokka pointed out. "It can't call _anyone_. For the last time, there's nothing after us and there's nothing magical happening here."

As if he'd said the magic words, a giant swamp monster emerged.

* * *

"Why did you call me here if you just wanted to kill us?" Aang demanded.

"Wait!" The man tossed off the vines that made up his 'swamp monster'. "I didn't call you here."

"We were flying over and I heard something calling to me, telling me to land."

"He's the Avatar." Sokka stated. "Stuff like that happens to us a _lot_."

"The Avatar?" The man asked. "Come with me."

He led them up to the large tree that made up the heart of the swamp.

"So, who are you then?" Katara asked.

"I protect the swamp from folks that wanna hurt it, like _this_ fella with his big knife."

Liu raised an eyebrow at Sokka, who just brushed it off.

"See," Sokka commented, "completely reasonable. Not a monster, just a regular guy defending his home. Nothing mystical about it."

"Oh the swamp _is_ a mystical place alright. It's sacred. I reached enlightenment right here, under the banyan grove tree. I heard it callin' me. Just like you did."

"Sure you did." Sokka said sarcastically. "It seems _real_ chatty."

"See, this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread, and sink, and take root, and then spread some more. One big, living organism. Just like the entire world."

"I get how the tree is one big thing," Aang said, "but the whole world?"

"Sure, you think you're any different from me, or your friends, or this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing breathing together, you can feel everything growing. We're all livin' together, even if most folks don't act like it. We all have the same roots, and we are all branches of the same tree."

"But," Liu interjected, "when we were walking around in the swamp, we all had visions. What did _those_ mean?"

"In the swamp we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, folks we think are gone, but the swamp tells us they're not. We're still connected to 'em. Time is an illusion, and so is death."

Liu felt happy tears in her eyes. Manna remembered that her brother was still alive as far as she knew, and that there was still a chance that she could make amends with him.

"But what about _my _vision?" Aang asked. "It was someone I had never met."

"You're the Avatar, you tell _me_."

"_Time is an illusion_. So, it's someone...I _will_ meet."

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson!" Sokka declared. "But we still need to find Appa, Momo, Boomer, and Gio."

"I think I know how to find them." Aang put his hand to the tree-root. "Everything is _connected_."

* * *

"Hey, you guys are Waterbenders." Manna stated as she and Katara repelled the attack.

"You too? That means we're kin!" The man replied, causing the two female Waterbenders to exchange awkward looks.

When the 'swamp monster' man appeared, the Swamp-Bender recognized him.

"Hey Hue, how you been?"

"You know, scared some folks, swung some vines. The usual."

"_Hue_?" Sokka asked.

* * *

Later that evening they all sat around the campfire at the swamp-dwellers' village. Manna was a little off-put by the bugs that were included in the menu, and Liu looked as if she were going to be ill, bug-eating was one of the things that Liu had a weak constitution about.

"How you like that opossum-chicken?" Asked the swamp-dweller, whose name they learned was Due.

"Tastes just like Arctic Hen." Sokka replied. "So why were you guys so interested in eating Appa? You've got plenty of those big things wandering around." Sokka pointed to the large Cat-gator.

"You want me to eat ol' Slim? He's like a member of the family." Due tossed a fish to the Cat-gator, who ate it appreciatively.

"You'll have to forgive my cousin." Liu said. "He thinks that any sort of animal is for food." Liu gave some tidbits of food to her Kanga-dogs.

"Nice Slim." Sokka tossed a large bug at the creature, that caused it to growl. Due chuckled.

"Oh he don't eat no _bugs_. That's people food."

"Where'd you say you was from?" Asked another swamp-dweller, named Tho.

"The South Pole." Katara answered.

"Didn't know there was Waterbenders anywhere but here."

"Oh, there are." Manna added. "In fact, my niece and nephew here may be from the South Poe, but I am of Northern Water Tribe heritage."

"Do they got nice swamps in those places, do they?"

"Well, actually, they're both all ice and snow."

Pause.

"Hm. No wonder you left."

"Well," Sokka said to his companions, "I hope you realize now that nothing strange was going on here. Just a bunch of greasy people living in a swamp."

"What about the _visions_?" Katara demanded.

"I _told_ you. We were _hungry_. I'm eating a giant bug."

"But what about when the tree told me where Appa, Momo, Boomer, and Gio were?" Aang asked.

"That's Avatar stuff, that doesn't count. The only thing I can't figure out" Sokka turned to Hue "is how you made the tornado that sucked us down."

"I can't do anything like _that_." Hue responded. "I just Bend the water and the plants."

"Well no accounting for weather. Still, there's absolutely nothing mysterious about the swamp."

"Liu," Katara asked, "maybe you'd like to finish that poem you were telling us last night?"

"Are you sure, Katara?" Liu asked. "I mean, I did tell you guys that it might be offensive to Sokka."

"I'm perfectly okay with it." Sokka replied.

"Okay. But I'm gonna have to start from the beginning. Gather round, everyone."

In the distance, one of the shrieking swamp-birds let out its dreadful cry, just before a tree-branch swatted it away.

**Ooh, creepy huh? Yep, Liu's mom has some inner guilt about leaving the South Pole, and ever since she learned of her friend Kya's death she's felt it was her fault. ****The Raven**** excerpt was originally just something I threw in, because it's my favorite poem, but after re-reading it I realized how much it related to Sokka. Oh, I might not post for a couple days as I am going to a college orientation on Tuesday. See ya next time.**


	23. Avatar Day

Helping Hand

**Okay, I thought quite a bit about what to do for this as it was a complete filler episode. But I did my best. The next two chapters are the ones I am particularly looking forward to. I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

Avatar Day

Everyone was lying around in the early morning, sleeping. The only person who was awake was Liu, she had had some trouble with sleep and had woken up right as the sun was barely starting to rise, and was now proceeding to start packing for the day's journey. Suddenly she heard a shout.

"What are you doing in my mouth?" Sokka was yelling at Momo, who had just snatched a spider that had been building its web in Sokka's mouth. "Momo, you need to be a little more sensitive to my boundaries." All of a sudden there was a loud rumbling and five men on Komodo-rhinos surrounded them.

"Give up!" One man shouted. "You're completely surrounded!"

As the men began attacking, the Gaang scrambled to get away. Katara and Aang had to quickly go back for some things, luckily Liu had packed up all her and her mother's things earlier. As they started to fly away, Sokka realized he'd forgotten his boomerang.

"There's no time!" Katara protested.

"Oh so there's time to get _your _scrolls, and time to get Aang's staff, but no time for _my_ boomerang?"

"That's correct."

"Oh."

* * *

After Sokka lost his boomerang he became very despondent. Moping that he had lost a part of his identity. Manna went over and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You know, Sokka, when your dad was little a similar thing happened to him."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. He lost his _own_ boomerang during a hunting trip with some of the other boys in the village. He moped around for about a week, but then he was fine and got a new boomerang. After all, it's only an object."

"I guess."

Liu then came over.

"Don't worry, Sokka, I have a feeling that fate has a funny sense of humor."

As they had their little chat, Katara was buying more supplies.

"Hey, Water Tribe money." The vendor said.

"I hope that's alright."

"So long as it's money. Have a nice Avatar Day."

"Avatar Day?" Aang inquired.

"You guys are goin' to the festival, right?"

* * *

When they heard the words 'Avatar Day' and saw a couple of floats depicting Avatar Roku, Avatar Kyoshi, and Aang, they never thought it would end with the floats being set on fire. Nor had any of them expected the mayor of the village to accuse Avatar Kyoshi of murdering the village's former leader. And now they were in a situation where Aang had agreed to stand trial for something he was accused of in a past-life.

"How was I supposed to know they didn't accept Water Tribe money?"

The four other people stood outside the cell, shaking their heads in disbelief.

"Why didn't you guys just let _me_ pay?" Liu asked. "It wasn't _that_ excessive a bail."

"So some people don't like you?" Sokka said to Aang. "Big deal. There's a whole nation of Firebenders who hate you."

"Sokka," Manna interjected, "I doubt that is comforting."

"Let's just bust you out of here."

"I can't." Aang replied.

"Sure you can! A little whoo, swish, swish, swish, Airbending slice! And we're on our way."

"I think what Master Swish is trying to say is you're supposed to be out saving the world." Katara stated.

"And you can't exactly do that locked up in a cell." Manna added.

"I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either. I need you guys to help prove my innocence."

"How are we gonna do _that_? The crime happened over 300 years ago." Sokka inquired.

"Maybe Liu could contact Avatar Kyoshi's spirit?" Katara suggested.

"I dunno." Liu replied. "Contacting my Spirit Guide, and acting as a medium for the spirits is pretty much the limit of my experience. We're talking about summoning a former incarnation of the Avatar. One of Aang's own past-lives. I could give it a try, but you guys had better come up with a back-up plan."

"Well," Aang spoke up, "I did have Sokka pegged as an expert detective."

"Well, I guess I _could_ be classified as such." The Water Tribe youth replied.

"Yeah," Katara continued, "back home, he was famous for solving the Mystery of the Missing Seal-jerky."

"Everyone wanted to blame it on a Polar-Leopard, but I figured that it was old man Jarco wearing Polar-Leopard _boots_. See, a real 800lb Polar-Leopard would have left much deeper tracks."

"Wow," Manna said, "you really _are_ Hakoda's son. He was the same way when he was younger."

Sokka practically beamed with pride.

"Okay, I guess I am _pretty_ good."

"So, you'll help me with my case?" Aang asked.

"Fine, but I'm gonna need some new props."

Manna just shook her head. _That boy is __**definitely**__ his father's son._

* * *

As Sokka, Katara, and her mother went off to investigate, Liu sat meditating.

_"Liu, what brings you here today?"_

_"Lu Ten, I need to know how to contact Avatar Kyoshi."_

_"Why, may I ask?"_

_"Aang's in trouble. Again. A village thinks that Avatar Kyoshi murdered their former leader, and now Aang is in jail until he can prove his innocence."_

_"Hm. That is quite a conundrum. How are you all planning to solve it, other than by asking __**me**__?"_

_"Well, Sokka is playing Mr. Detective."_

_"Ha-ha-ha! No seriously, what's your plan?"_

_"That is the plan."_

_Lu Ten's eyes went wide._

_"Oh. You __**are**__ serious. Well, how about this. I can't tell you much, but I always heard it's important to trust in the power of __**stuff**__."_

_"O...kay. If you say so."_

Liu emerged from her trance.

"Hey Liu!" Sokka called out. "Any help from your Spirit Guide?"

"He said something about trusting in the power of 'stuff'."

"I _do_ believe in the power of _stuff_."

"What have you guys found out so far?"

"Well, apparently the temple and the statue were built at the same time."

"So?"

"So, the mayor said that the statue was built _after_ the temple. And that Avatar Kyoshi emerged from the temple when she committed the alleged crime, and that the statue was built in memory of the deceased leader."

"Okay, but that still doesn't prove Aang's innocence."

"I think we need to pay a little visit to Kyoshi Island."

"Are you saying that out of genuine belief that that will be helpful, or are you just hoping to see my friend Suki again?"

Sokka started to blush.

* * *

They were met by a group of cheering people, however, when it was revealed that Aang was not with them, the crowd dispersed. Luckily, Oyaji stayed to ask what this was all about.

"Hello Oyaji."

"Liu, it is good to see you again."

Manna stepped out of the Flying-bison's saddle.

"Oh, this is my mother Lady Manna."

"It is nice to meet you. You should be very proud of your daughter's accomplishments in warrior training. But may I ask, why are you all here? And where is the Avatar?"

"Aang is in jail." Katara explained. "The town of Chin says he murdered their leader in a past life."

"They say it was Kyoshi." Sokka said.

"Kyoshi! That's crazy-talk! I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe something there will help you clear her name."

They followed the village leader up to the Kyoshi Shrine. Along the way, Sokka inquired about Suki, only to find out that she and the other warriors had left to fight in the war. At the shrine, Oyaji had to repeatedly tell them not to touch anything, Liu knew well enough not to in the first place. While there, they realized that several things didn't add up to the story that the mayor had told them. They had all the evidence they needed.

* * *

"Honorable mayor, we've prepared a solid defense for the Avatar." Katara said. "We did an investigation, and found some very strong evidence."

"Evidence?" The mayor replied. "That's not how our court system works."

"Then how can I prove my innocence?" Aang asked.

"Simple. I say what happened, and then you say what happened, and then I decide who's right."

Everyone gave him disbelieving stares.

"That's why we call it 'Justice', because it's 'just us'." He then left, laughing as he went.

"Okay, I _really_ don't like that guy." Liu stated. "Not only is what he said blatantly unfair, but that joke was _terrible_. Worse than anything we've heard from Sokka."

"Hey!" Sokka protested.

* * *

After Aang's botched attempt at defending himself using the evidence the others gave him, they needed to come up with a new plan.

"Liu, what _exactly_ did you find out in the Spirit World?" Katara asked.

"My Spirit Guide just said to trust in the power of 'stuff'. The only thing that I can think that would mean is that we need objects connected with the incident in question." Liu was then struck by an idea. "That's it! You remember how Oyaji told us that the items at Kyoshi's Shrine have a spiritual connection to her? Well, maybe if Aang gets all dressed up in her old stuff it'll trigger something."

"It's worth a shot. But those items are priceless and irreplaceable relics. How do you expect him to just hand them over?"

"Well, they technically belong to the Avatar. And there's the fact that the only way the world can be saved is if Aang is free, so I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem as long as we return them."

* * *

The plan worked like a charm, or it did until the spirit of Avatar Kyoshi 'confessed' to killing the ruthless tyrant Chin the Conqueror. After the little testimony, Aang was ordered to spin the Wheel of Punishment. No sooner did the wheel land on Boiled in Oil, than the five men who had attacked the group earlier, whose name was revealed to be the Rough Rhinos, burst into the town to conquer it. After the mayor agreed to spare Aang's life on the condition that he save the town, the bald monk leapt into action. The Gaang easily drove off the Rough Rhinos, and in the scuffle Sokka was reunited with his boomerang. After Liu had gathered the items they had borrowed from the Kyoshi Shrine, she approached the mayor with a suggestion of how to make up for the whole trial thing.

"From now on, we'll celebrate a new Avatar Day! In honor of the day Avatar Aang saved us from the Rough Rhino invasion!"

The Gaang all looked down at the items in the bowls they had each been given.

"What is _this_?" Sokka asked.

"That's our new festival food. Baked dough, with a sugar glaze. As suggested by your friend here." The mayor gestured to Liu. "May we eat it and be reminded of how, on this day, the Avatar was _not_ boiled in oil."

"Happy Avatar Day!" Liu declared.

"This town isn't so bad after all." Sokka said as he ate one of the Aang-shaped cookies.

**Yes, it was Liu's idea to use the Kyoshi relics, and she actually remembered to return them. And thankfully, Liu managed to save that whole town from getting food-poisoning from eating raw cookie dough. I just think I ended things a little better. See ya!**


	24. The Blind Bandit

Helping Hand

**Ah yes, I've been waiting for this for some time now. I am only back for a few days, and if anyone is interested, I was away for college orientation, it went well I felt. Well, I'm not going to waste your precious time with a long intro, so...I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Blind Bandit

"Ah, the beautiful town of Gaoling." Liu said cheerfully. "It's been a while since I was last here."

"Do you know if they have any good Earthbending teachers here?" Asked Aang.

"Patience. Good things come to those who wait."

"In the meantime," Sokka interjected, "how's about we do a little shopping?"

* * *

"It's _pricey_, but...I really do like it." Sokka said as he contemplated over whether or not to buy a fancy green bag.

"Then you should get it, you deserve something nice." Katara said.

"I _do_ don't I? But..no, it's too expensive, I shouldn't."

"Okay, then don't."

As Sokka still looked like he was mulling it over, Liu decided to step in.

"Oh Sokka, just buy the stupid bag already. If you're worried about the price, I can take care of it."

"No, Liu, you shouldn't have to spend your money on us."

"No one ever lets me spend money on stuff."

"You know what? I'm gonna get it."

Liu walked over to where the others were standing. Suddenly, a man came over to them.

"Psst, you folks like Earthbending? Ya like throwin' rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy." The man handed them a pamphlet, then walked away.

"Look," Aang said as he examined the parchment, "there's a coupon on the back. The first lesson is free."

"Who knows," Katara said, "this Master Yu could be the Earthbending teacher you've been looking for."

Liu, on the other hand, didn't feel so sure about that.

* * *

After Aang's disappointing Earthbending lesson, the Gaang overheard two boys talking about some sort of Earthbending tournament.

"Excuse me, but where is this Earthbending tournament exactly?" Aang asked hopefully.

"It's on the island of Nonya." One boy said. "Nonya business." The two boys started to walk off laughing.

"Ah-ha-ha, oh man I gotta remember that one." Sokka said.

Manna, however, was not going to let this opportunity pass them by. She quickly caught up with the two boys and grabbed them by their ears.

"Young men, I want you to tell me where this Earthbending tournament is, right this instant."

"Yes ma'am."

The Gaang just looked at the woman, impressed. Liu smirked, as if to say 'That's my mom'.

* * *

"Hey, front-row seats." Aang said happily. "I wonder why no one else is sitting here."

Suddenly, a huge boulder smashed into the seats next to them.

"Maybe _that's_ why." Liu stated. "I _told_ you guys we should sit higher up. You see, this is why I hate spectator sports."

"Welcome to Earth Rumble 6!" Shouted a man who had just appeared in the arena. "I am your host Xin Fu!"

Katara let out a bored sigh.

"This is just gonna be a bunch of guys chucking rocks at each other, isn't it?"

"Yep." Liu replied.

"That's what I paid for." Sokka added.

"No wonder my mom didn't want to come."

The show progressed with the first contestant, a rather dim-witted guy that called himself 'The Boulder'.

"How _original_." Liu said sarcastically.

"Shush." Sokka replied.

The Boulder defeated his first opponent, The Hippo, quite easily. He then moved on to the next round, and the next. Sokka was cheering like a rapid fan-girl. Liu just wanted it over with. Despite Liu's usual attitude and moral code of patience, she could actually be very impatient when it came to watching sports. Neither of her parents had ever been fond of watching sporting events either, thank goodness, but her cousins were obsessed with them, especially if it involved Earthbending.

"Are you kidding me?" Liu asked rhetorically. "This isn't _Earthbending_, it's just a bunch of freaks in costumes who throw rocks at each other. Real Earthbending is an ancient and sacred art, meant for those who are disciplined and patient. This is a disgrace."

Sokka ignored Liu and kept cheering as The Boulder reached the final round.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for." Xin Fu announced. "The Boulder verses your champion, The Blind Bandit!"

Liu looked up and saw the little girl on the stage who was holding up the championship belt proudly.

_No, it couldn't be. But there's no other explanation._

"She can't really be blind," Katara said, "it's just part of her character, right?"

"I think she is." Aang responded.

"I think she is, _goin' down_!" Sokka exclaimed.

The fight was over before it barely even started. There was no way Liu could deny who the girl on the stage was. When Aang offered to face The Blind Bandit in the arena, Liu wanted so badly to do a facepalm. After Aang had defeated the girl, and she stormed off, the Gaang headed back to where they were camped for the evening.

"So how are we going to find out who she is?" Katara asked.

"I know." Liu said.

"Maybe we could ask those kids who told us about Earth Rumble 6?" Aang suggested.

"I know." Liu repeated, slightly irked that she was being ignored.

"Perhaps if we did a thorough investigation we could-" Sokka started.

"Is no one listening? How many times do I have to say it? I know who The Blind Bandit is!"

"Who's the what now?" Manna asked.

Liu looked up at her mother.

"Mom, I think it's high time we paid a visit to our old friends the Bei Fongs."

* * *

"Now remember guys," Liu said to the others, "the Bei Fong family is one of the most prestigious Earth Kingdom families in the world. It's almost as renowned as _mine_. In fact, the Bei Fongs are very, very, _very_ distant relatives of ours. No real blood connection remains, but we still refer to each other as 'cousins'. So, just act natural, but be on your best behavior. And _no_ funny business. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Excellent. And do not mention Earth Rumble to _anyone_."

Liu then proceeded to knock on the door.

The door was opened, and a servant stood there.

"May I help you?"

Manna stepped forward.

"You certainly may, my good man. I am Lady Manna, wife of the late Prince Anil of the Na family of Omashu. My daughter, and some friends of ours have recently arrived in town, and request an audience with the Bei Fongs."

"At once, milady."

* * *

"Manna? It has been a long time." Lao Bei Fong addressed the lady.

"It has been indeed. You remember my daughter Liu?"

"How could we forget?" Poppy Bei Fong responded. "My you have grown. Toph will be so pleased that you are here."

"Won't you please join us for dinner?" Lao offered. "And perhaps we can offer you and your travelling companions some accommodations for the evening?"

"It would be an honor."

They were all shown into the dining room. A little girl in a fancy dress was already seated.

"Toph," Poppy addressed her daughter, "we have company." Toph rose from her seat, and a servant led her over to her parents. "Your cousin Liu is here."

"Liu? It's good to...um..be in your company again."

"Come on Toph," Liu said with a grin, "you can give me a better welcome than that. I seem to recall the last time we met you promised you'd hug me if we met each other again, and you aren't the type to go back on a promise, are you?"

Toph grinned and hugged the older girl. Liu was the one person Toph liked enough to actually hug.

"Toph and Liu spent a great deal of time together when they were younger." Lao explained to the rest of the Gaang. "We used to make trips to Omashu every now and then, and these two were always inseparable. Toph was very disappointed when she found out that Liu had gone off on some world tour thing."

"Oh, I do believe dinner is ready." Poppy interjected.

* * *

To say dinner was awkward would have been an understatement, what with Aang dropping hints about Earth Rumble and Toph Earthbending at him under the table. Liu had to admit it was kinda cute, but not in the mushy, gross, lovey-dovey kind of way. It took all of Liu's self control to either not elbow Aang in the ribs for his less-than-subtle remarks or to burst out laughing as Toph secretly punished him for it. Eventually, the experience paid off when the Gaang was alone in one of the guest rooms.

"Relax." Toph said as she entered the room and Aang responded as though she were going to attack him. "Look, I'm sorry about dinner, let's call a truce, okay?"

Aang calmed down.

"Hey Toph," Liu said, "what's up with the whole Blind Bandit thing? I mean, I knew you were an awesome Earthbender, but..."

"Heh. I guess with you gone there was nothing fun to do anymore. I was so sick of mom and dad acting so overprotective of me all the time. I needed to do something for myself."

"Toph, how 'bout we go for a little walk? Aang, why don't you come too?"

The 16-year-old and the two 12-year-olds went out for a walk in the garden. Toph hopped up onto the rail of the little garden bridge and started balancing.

"So Toph," Aang inquired, "how were you able to defeat your opponents so easily?"

"Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem 'seeing'." She leapt off the end of the bridge. "I 'see' with Earthbending. It's kinda like seeing with my feet. I feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can 'see' where everything is: you, Liu, that tree, even those ants." Aang looked to try and find the ants that Toph 'saw', but couldn't find them in the dark.

"That's amazing."

"My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I was helpless."

"That's why you became the Blind Bandit." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah."

"Then why stay here where you're not happy?"

"Aang," Liu said with a sly grin, "are you inviting Toph to join us on our travels?"

"Well...I..um.."

"Yeah," Toph deadpanned, "you guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do. That's the life. It's just not _my_ life." All of a sudden, Toph tensed up and put her hand to the ground. "We're being ambushed!"

As the three kids started to run, they found themselves confronted by one of the Earthbenders from Earth Rumble. Liu wasn't worried, because of her whole Energybending thing; or at least, she _wasn't_ worried until they all found themselves in large metal boxes, Toph in one, Aang and Liu in the other. Liu noticed through the small, barred window that they were being approached by Xin Fu, the Earth Rumble host.

"I think you kids owe me some money."

* * *

As the three were held hostage at the Earth Rumble arena, Toph was getting very irritated.

"You think you're so tough? Why don't you come up here so I can smack that grin off your face?"

"I'm not smiling." Xin Fu replied.

They were interrupted by a concerned shout.

"Toph!" Lao Bei Fong declared.

Everyone looked over to see Lao Bei Fong, Master Yu, Lady Manna, and the Water Tribe siblings.

"Here's your money!" Sokka declared. "Now let them go!" Sokka dropped the bag of gold coins that Aang had won after his fight with Toph, and Master Yu Earthbended it over. Xin Fu signaled his cronies to release Toph, who ran over to her father.

"What about Aang and _my_ daughter?" Manna demanded.

"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar and the other Airbender." Xin Fu replied, holding up the wanted posters for Aang and Liu. "Now, _get out of my ring_."

As the three were about to stand their ground, the other Earth Rumble competitors surrounded them. They were outnumbered and outmatched. There was only one person who could help them now. Toph Bei Fong.

* * *

After Toph had thoroughly wiped the floor with her old opponents, everyone returned to the Bei Fong manor, and Toph's parents wanted an explanation.

"Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient, little, helpless blind-girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an Earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping _me_ secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me, but I'm 12-years-old and the only friend I've ever had was Liu. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph." Lao responded. "It's made me realize something."

"It has?"

"Yes, I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you will be cared for and guarded 24-hours a day."

"But dad-!"

"We're doing this for your own good, Toph." Poppy Bei Fong stated.

Lao then turned to his guests.

"Manna, I apologize for having to say this, but perhaps it would be best if you and your associates leave. I didn't think I would have to say this, but the Avatar is no longer welcome here."

"I'm sorry, Toph." Aang said.

"I'm sorry too. Goodbye, Aang." Toph responded.

Liu turned around and noticed the tear that slid down the young Earthbender's cheek. Liu had a strange feeling that the tear was not for them.

* * *

The Gaang had just finished packing up all their stuff on Appa, when a certain blind Earthbender came running up to them.

"Toph!" Aang declared in amazement. "What are you doing here?"

"My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world." Liu sensed that that was not exactly the truth.

"Well," Sokka added, "we'd better get out of here before your dad changes his mind again."

"Good idea."

The team and their newest member flew off into the night, not knowing what the future had in store for them.

**Ah, it's done. I actually started this last week, but I finally finished it today. I'll still try and get out some more chapters before I go, I've also got a bunch of other ideas that I'll be sure to work on while I'm on vacation, but they won't be up until after I get back in about three weeks. See ya!**


	25. The Chase

Helping Hand

**Yep, a new chapter out. There's going to be a slight twist with the ending, no spoilers but I can tell you that it involves Manna. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Chase

They had just landed, evening was starting to fall and they were all kinda tired.

"Hey," Toph said, "you guys picked a great campsite. The grass is so soft."

"Uh, Toph," Liu spoke up, "that's not grass."

"Appa's shedding." Sokka added.

"Oh gross." Katara responded.

"That's not gross," Aang pointed out, "it's just a part of Spring. You know, rebirth, flowers blooming, and Appa gets a new coat."

"Boomer and Gio have the same thing going on with _them_." Liu continued, pointing to the two Kanga-dogs who were chewing at their fur like Appa.

"Ah, the beauty of Spring." Manna said with a slight air of sarcasm.

As the evening wore on the Gaang proceeded with setting up camp, everyone was doing something to help, everyone that is except for Toph.

"So Toph," Katara said as she approached the blind girl, "usually when setting up camp we try to divide up the work."

"Hey, don't worry about me." Toph responded. "I'm good to go."

"Well, actually what I'm trying to say is some of us might fetch water, while someone else might set up the fire pit or put up the tent. Even Momo does his fair share." Said Flying-lemur had appeared and delivered some nuts that he had foraged.

"Katara, I'm fine. I can carry my own weight. I don't need a fire, I've already collected my own food, and look," she Earthbended a tent, "my tent's all set up."

"Well, that's great for _you_, but we still need to finish-"

"I don't understand, what's the problem here?"

"Never mind."

Katara walked back over to continue helping the others. Katara later tried to reconcile with Toph, only to be more or less shrugged off. Liu had been secretly observing the exchanges and internally shaking her head. _Oh this will not end well._

* * *

Everyone had settled in for the night, they had only gotten about an hour or so of sleep before Toph noticed that something was heading straight for them.

"There's something coming toward us!"

"What is it?" Aang asked.

"It feels like an avalanche, but...also not an avalanche."

"Your powers of perception are frightening." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Should we leave?" Asked Katara.

"Better safe than sorry." Liu answered.

As they flew away, they saw a strange, large shape moving quickly in the direction of their former campsite.

* * *

Everyone was getting very tired. Aang decided that they had put enough distance between them and the thing. Once they were all settled on land once more, Katara tried yet again to get Toph to help out, the conversation soon became a _confrontation_.

"Ever since you joined us, you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful!" Katara declared.

"_What_?" Toph shouted incredulously. "Look here Sugar-queen, I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang Earthbending! So don't you talk to me about being selfish!" With that, Toph Earthbended a tent for herself.

"_Sugar-queen_?" Toph then Earthbended a door in front of the tent. "Did you just slam the door in my face? How can you be so infuriating?" Katara started banging on the earth tent.

"Katara," Manna approached cautiously, "maybe it would be best if we all leave Toph to herself. We are all very tired, and we need to calm down."

"I'm completely calm!"

"Of course you are." Manna replied with a raised eyebrow.

After everyone had settled down for the night to get some sleep, the argument started up again.

"The stars sure are beautiful tonight, too bad you can't see them, Toph!" Katara shouted, only to find herself being Earthbended over onto her brother who was lying next to her.

"Okay Katara," Liu said with irritation, "that was just a low-blow. I thought you were better than that. Now everyone shut up so we can sleep!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than Toph announced that the thing was back. So, grudgingly, the team hurriedly packed up and started flying away as fast and as far as they could.

* * *

They landed on top of a small plateau, everyone was now so exhausted that they just dropped down from the saddle and started to go to sleep.

"Okay, forget about setting up camp." Sokka stated. "I'm finding the softest pile of dirt, and going to sleep."

"That's good, because Toph wasn't going to help anyway." Katara responded.

"Oh, I didn't realize baby still needed someone to tuck her in bed." Toph replied snarkily.

"Come on guys," Aang interjected, "there's something after us and we don't even know what or who it is."

"It could be Zuko." Katara suggested. "We haven't seen him since the North Pole."

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.

"Oh, just some angry freak with a ponytail who's tracked us all over the world." Sokka explained.

"What's wrong with ponytails, _ponytail_?" Katara said jokingly.

"This, is a Warrior's _Wolftail_."

"Well, it certainly tells the other warriors that you're fun and perky."

"Anyway, whoever's chasing us, they couldn't have followed us here. Now would everyone just _shush_?" Momo started to bounce on his chest, trying to get his attention. "No Momo. Shh, sleepy-time."

Momo then proceeded to start acting super jittery, grabbing everyone's attention.

"Oh, don't tell me." Sokka said despairingly.

"That's impossible." Aang stated. "There's no way they could have tracked us."

"I can feel it with my own two feet." Toph responded.

They soon saw the steam rising that signaled the approach of the strange vessel.

"We should get out of here." Liu said.

"Maybe we should face them. Find out who they are." Aang suggested. "Who knows, maybe they're friendly?"

"Aang, that doesn't look like a friendly machine heading straight for us."

"Always the optimist." Sokka said.

The strange machine stopped, and out of a compartment came three very familiar girls riding on Mongoose-dragons.

"It's those three girls from Omashu." Katara declared as everyone got into battle stances.

"We can take 'em." Said Toph. "Three on five."

"Actually, Toph, there's six of us." Sokka pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't count you, you know, no Bending and all."

"I can still fight!"

"Okay, three on five plus Sokka." That only got Sokka angrier.

Liu was pretty accustomed to sleep-deprivation, in fact, she often was more aware if she was running on a few hours of sleep than if she slept in, but today had been one of _those_ days, and Liu wasn't even sure if she had the strength to fight at the time, let alone use her Energybending if the situation required it. The Gaang soon realized that in their current state they wouldn't be a match for the three Fire Nation girls, so they made their escape, just barely making it away as the girls attacked.

* * *

As they flew, the sun started to rise, much to Sokka's annoyance. Everyone started to drift off, unsure of what they were going to do, and unaware of the fact that Appa had fallen asleep, that is until they started to get the feeling that they were falling.

"What's going on?" Toph shouted.

"Appa fell asleep!" Aang replied.

Everyone desperately clung on as Aang tried to wake the bison before they all crashed. Appa managed to rouse long enough to make a very rough landing.

"Appa's exhausted." Aang pointed out as everyone got off.

"Okay, we've put a lot of distance between us and them." Sokka stated. "The plan right now is to follow Appa's lead and get some sleep."

"Of course we could've gotten some sleep earlier if Toph didn't have such issues." Katara said bitterly.

"_What_?" The blind Earthbender shrieked as she grabbed the earth with her fists, cracking it.

"Alright, alright!" Aang stepped in. "Everyone's exhausted. Let's just get some rest."

"No, I wanna hear what Katara has to say! You think I have _issues_!"

"I'm just saying, maybe if you helped out earlier we could have set up our camp faster and gotten some sleep. And then _maybe_ we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"You're blaming _me_ for this?"

When the two girls started to get into combative positions, Aang stepped in between them.

"No, no, she's not blaming you!"

"No I'm blaming her!" Katara responded.

Liu and Manna could only sit and watch, cringing at the argument but not wanting to get involved, Sokka was just trying to get to sleep and was mumbling about all the noise.

"Hey!" Toph shouted. "I never asked you for a diddly-do-da! I carry my _own_ weight! Besides, if there's anyone to blame, it's Sheddy over here!" Toph gestured to Appa.

"What? You're blaming _Appa_?" Aang asked.

"Yeah, you wanna know how they keep finding us?" Toph pulled a wad of Appa's loose fur into her hand. "He's leaving a trail everywhere we go!"

"How dare you blame Appa! He saved your life three times today! If there's anyone to blame it's _you_! You always talk about how you carry your own weight, but you're not, he is! Appa's carrying your weight! He never had a problem flying before _you_ showed up!"

"I'm outta here."

Toph grabbed her bag and started to leave. Sokka made an attempt to stop her, but she just Earthbended him out of the way and left.

Manna had had enough.

"Aang, that was completely uncalled for. And do you realize what you have just done? You drove off your Earthbending teacher."

"And Katara, you're no better." Liu added. "Can't you understand that Toph has never really known what being in a group like this is like? She just wanted to try and make things simple, she's always been sort of a loner, and you were just pushing her away even farther. We're not taking sides or anything, but you two should have been more understanding."  
"And Toph did have a point about Appa shedding. Though, she probably should have mentioned it earlier. But the point is, we can't let this sleep deprivation get the better of us."

Aang and Katara were instantly overcome by the realization of what happened.

"What did I just _do_?" Aang declared. "I can't believe I yelled at my Earthbending teacher. Now she's gone."

"I know." Katara replied solemnly. "We're all just trying to get used to each other. And I was so mean to her."

"Yeah you two were pretty much jerks." Sokka pointed out.

"Thanks Sokka."

"No problem."

"We need to find Toph and apologize."

Manna was suddenly struck by a thought.

"No, right now we need to figure out what to do about Appa's shedding. Those three girls are probably on their way here right now. You all have to get away as fast as you can. I'll go and find Toph."

"Mom, are you sure?"

"Yes Liu."

Manna then took her daughter over to the side.

"Liu, something is telling me I need to go. If I find Toph I'll send her back to you all. But I think it's time I separated from you."

"What? Mom no. I only just got you back and now you're leaving?"

"Liu, you know perfectly well that I can take care of myself. I feel like I have been holding you all down. I know you can look out for everyone else, you have the potential to be a great leader. But something has been nagging at me lately, saying that I need to go."

Liu hugged her mom, tears brimming in her eyes.

"At least take Boomer and Gio with you. Who knows if you'll need extra protection?"

Liu called over the two Kanga-dogs, and instructed them to protect her mom and do what she said. Liu handed her mom some supplies, and even gave her her old parka in case the weather got cold again. Liu waved goodbye as her mom set off.

"Okay," said Sokka, "what are we gonna do about the tank full of dangerous ladies chasing us?"

"I have a plan." Aang replied.

* * *

While Sokka and Katara left on Appa, Aang and Liu made a fake trail of fur to an abandoned Earth Kingdom town. When the two Airbenders realized they were out of fur, they decided to wait and see if their pursuers would come. Liu had originally suggested that they just leave the trail and go back to the others, but Aang wanted to face off with whoever found them, and Liu wasn't going to argue. She'd heard enough arguing lately.

After the evil Fire Nation Princess, and soon her brother as well, showed up, there was a scuffle. Sokka and Katara showed up, later followed by Toph, and then General Iroh. The fight finally ended when Azula was cornered, she acted as though she was going to surrender, but then shot a blast of blue fire at Iroh and made her escape. Katara offered to help Iroh, but Zuko shot fire in their direction and ordered them to leave. And leave they did.

* * *

As they flew away, the others were curious about what happened to Manna and the two Kanga-dogs.

"Liu, what about your mom?" Toph asked.

"She said to go on without her. I told her to take Boomer and Gio with her for safety."

"I hope she'll be alright." Katara said with worry.

"She'll be fine. She can take care of herself." Liu looked out at the view below, saying a silent prayer that her mom stay safe.

* * *

Lady Manna had been walking for a few hours, when she came upon an abandoned Earth Kingdom village. She suddenly heard the sounds of someone in pain. She looked and saw a young man with a scar on his face trying to help an older man who looked seriously injured. Cautiously, she approached.

"Are you in need of some assistance?"

The boy turned to look at her, he had a desperate but angry look on his face.

"No! Go away! Leave us alone!"

The two Kanga-dogs tensed and started to growl, Manna ordered them to settle down, she then proceeded up to the two men.

"Please let me help. This man is injured."

"No! Go away!"

Manna simply scowled, grabbed the boy by his ear and spoke sternly.

"Young man, you are going to calm down, right now. You are going to let me tend to this gentleman's injuries. Because if you don't, there is a likelihood that the wound will only get worse and he might not make it. Now settle."

Zuko was taken aback by the woman's actions, but did as she said. Manna Waterbended some water from her pouch and onto her hands that she then set on the wound. Manna was truly thankful that Katara had taught her about healing before she left. The water started to glow, and the man stirred, but stayed unconscious.

"We need to get him to a decent shelter. The houses around here all seem decayed and unsafe. There was an abandoned house just up that hill that seemed fine though." Manna whistled for the two Kanga-dogs. Zuko became unnerved by them, he was sure he'd seen them before. Manna laid a canvas over the creatures' backs that she fastened tightly.

"Here, help me get him up."

Zuko and Manna moved the unconscious Iroh onto the makeshift stretcher, and began to head up the hill.

**Yes, I bet you didn't see that coming. And if you did...well, kudos to you. Yep, Manna is going to be travelling with Zuko and Iroh for awhile, I wonder how she will react when she finds out who they are. See ya!**


	26. Bitter Work

Helping Hand

**Okay, I'm back again. Sorry for making you all wait. Okay, you have to have read the last chapter for this one to make sense. If you didn't, then I don't know what's wrong with you. Anywho, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender and blah, blah, blah...**

Bitter Work

The Gaang had all been sleeping peacefully, after their recent escapade involving the evil Princess Azula, when they were woken by an excitable young Airbender.

"Today's the day! Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting Earthbending! A-And this place...it's perfect! Don't ya think? Sokka?"

The Water Tribe boy turned to glare irately at Aang, then grumbled as he tried to go back to sleep.

"Oh, you're still sleeping, huh? Sorry."

Soon there was a loud rumble as Toph's earth tent blew apart, revealing the blind Earthbender.

"Good morning, Earthbending student!"

"Good morning, Sifu Toph."

"Hey," Katara spoke up, "you never call _me_ Sifu Katara."

"Well, if you think I should..."

Sokka sat up in his sleeping bag and sputtered out angry mumblings at them.

"Sorry, Snoozles." Toph responded. "We'll do our Earthbending as _quietly_ as we can."

With that, Toph Earthbended Sokka up into the air. When he crashed back down, he leapt up, still in the sleeping bag, gibbered at them some more, and hopped off to find a place to sleep. Liu, who had been watching all this, burst out laughing; truth be told, she was tired too, but right now she was the happy-tired Liu. Liu had many conflicting persona that were often connected to how much sleep she got. Usually when she was tired, she would be unassailably cheerful because of how delirious she was, other times she could be mean and say some things that she would later apologize for.

"So Toph," Liu said when she calmed down, "what will you be teaching Master Air-head today?"

"Yeah!" Aang continued. "Rockalanche? The Trembler? Oh, maybe I could learn to make a whirlpool outta land?"

Toph stopped him.

"Let's start with move-a-rock."

"Sounds good. Sounds good."

Liu and Katara got up to observe the Earthbending lesson.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at a run-down old house, a retired Fire Nation general was starting to stir from his dream.

"Uncle?"

The old man opened his eyes.

"You were unconscious."

A middle-aged woman in Water Tribe blue came over and checked his wound.

"This was a very nasty injury. You are lucky I happened along, your nephew practically bit my head off when I tried to help."

"Thank you, miss..."

"Manna."

"Thank you, Manna."

Iroh sat up, grunting in pain as he did so.

"Oh, since you are awake now." She pulled out a small container of White Willow bark. "Here, chew on one of these. It will help with the pain."

Zuko watched, nervously. This woman had helped them, but what if she found out who they were? She would probably turn them in.

"Your wound seems to be doing much better." She continued. "May I ask what happened?"

Zuko tensed, and immediately tried to come up with an acceptable lie.

"Uhh...we were attacked...um...some Fire Nation troops ambushed us and wounded my uncle."

Manna quirked her eyebrow, this boy was such a bad liar.

"You know, if you're going to lie to me, you should at least give me the courtesy of making a better attempt at it."

"What? I'm not lying!"

Manna rolled her eyes.

"Young man, you really are a terrible liar. And getting defensive is only proving my point."

"I'm not getting defensive!"

"Nephew," Iroh spoke up, "try to be more respectful to this kind lady. She went out of her way to assist us, we owe her that."

"My apologies." Zuko said to Manna.

"It's alright." She responded. "I can understand how you would be on edge around me, seeing as how you are Fire Nation and all."

Zuko and Iroh both stared in shock, eyes wide.

"How...how long did you know?" Zuko asked.

"Well, that scar of yours is specifically the type that one attains from an Agni Kai. I've seen an Agni Kai survivor up close before. He had the exact same scar. Also, I don't think many Earth Kingdom people have gold eyes. You don't have to worry, I'm not going to turn you in."

"That is very kind of you." Iroh said. "May I ask why?"

"When I see someone in need of help, I don't care who they are or where they're from. I'd rather help an enemy to live and not have a guilty conscience, than risk allowing an innocent person to suffer."

"A very noble sentiment."

"Thank you. Now, would you mind telling me who you really are?"

Zuko and Iroh exchanged nervous looks.

"We are traitors to the Fire Nation." Iroh replied.

"I don't think so."

"What?"

"The only traitors to the Fire Nation are the ones who support this awful war. And from the looks of things, you two seem to have been hurt by the Fire Nation as much as any Earth Kingdom refugees."

Iroh sighed.

"Perhaps we _can_ tell you the truth."

"Uncle, maybe we shouldn't." Zuko protested. "If she knows who we are-"

"She has already helped us, even though we are her enemies. And she gave us her word that she would not turn us in." Iroh turned back to Manna. "My name is Iroh, former general of the Fire Nation, better known as the Dragon of the West, the man responsible for the 600-day siege of Ba Sing Se."

Manna cringed. This was the man responsible for her husband's death. The reason why her family had been broken so cruelly.

"I see." She then turned to Zuko. "And I assume that you are Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation?"

"You know of me?"

"Yes, I know _all_ about _you_."

Zuko became unnerved by the way she had said that. Manna inwardly felt a desire to get revenge on these men, but shrugged off the idea as it would be dishonorable to break her promise about not turning them in; in fact, she realized that a much better revenge would be to convince them to renounce their allegiance to the Fire Nation and help end this war. It would be a chance, and Manna didn't usually take chances, but the voice in her head told her to trust them. And for a rare moment in her life, she listened to it.

"Would anyone care for some tea?" Manna offered.

* * *

The Earthbending lessons had not gotten off to a great start. Aang was having immense trouble. He had done everything that Toph had told him, but it just didn't work. Toph had gotten a little irritated and started to walk off, but Liu quickly caught up with her.

"Toph, maybe you're expecting too much from him right away. It's kinda hard for him to change the outlook he has become so accustomed to. I've watched him train with Katara in the past, and he seems to respond to positive reinforcement. Maybe just give him a gentle nudge in the right direction."

"A gentle nudge. Thanks Liu. I'll try that."

Liu really hoped that Toph had been sincere about that, though she highly doubted it.

* * *

"Keep your knees high, Twinkle-toes!"

Toph clearly didn't understand the concept of a 'gentle nudge'. Liu wanted so desperately to bang her head against something, but at the same time she wanted to laugh her butt off at the sight of Aang carrying a heavy boulder on his back as Toph Earthbended under his feet to try and throw him off. Liu was sitting next to Katara as the two older girls watched the two 12-year-olds train.

"Hey Katara?"

"Hm?"

"Don't you think it's kinda cute?"

"What?"

"The way Toph is sorta picking on Aang like that. Isn't it kinda obvious that she's doing that because she likes him?"

"What are you talking about, Liu?"

"You know how sometimes younger people have trouble showing their feelings, so they act out or bully people? Well, I think it's pretty clear that Toph likes Aang."

"You're crazy."

Liu just smiled. _Oh Katara, so naive._

As the lessons progressed, Aang was doing much better, and Toph was becoming very pleased with his success. That is, of course, until Aang chickened out of the stopping-a-giant-boulder-as-it-speeds-towards-you-blindfolded test.

Toph was furious. Aang had done everything right, up until it came to the point where the boulder almost crushed him.

"Yeah, you _are_ sorry! If you're not tough enough to stop the rock, then you can at least give it the pleasure of smushing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp! Now, do you have what it takes to face that rock like an Earthbender?"

"No, I don't think I do."

Liu came over to Aang, and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, Aang. You're still new at this. How about we practice some Airbending?."

"Yeah." The boy replied halfheartedly. "That sounds good."

"Yeah whatever!" Toph declared. "Go play in the wind until you feel better!"

* * *

Meanwhile, a certain banished prince was starting to practice his Firebending training once again. As Iroh instructed Zuko in the process for creating lightning, Manna watched, feeling nervous about what would happen. Her worries proved correct when Zuko's attempt at generating lightning ended up with a huge explosion.

"Why can't I do it? Instead of lightning it keeps exploding in my face! Like everything always does."

Manna ran over to the boy, and put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

"No!"

"I was afraid this might happen." Iroh stated. "You will not be able to master lightning until you have dealt with the turmoil inside you."

"What turmoil?" Zuko shouted.

"Zuko, you must let go of your feelings of shame if you want your anger to go away."

"But I don't feel any shame at all. I'm as proud as ever."

"Young man," Manna spoke up, "pride is not the opposite of shame. In fact, it is the root of shame, and many other faults. Humility is the key to letting go of your mistakes and failings."

"She is right, Prince Zuko."

"Well my life has been nothing _but_ humbling lately." Zuko responded.

"I have another idea. I will teach you a Firebending move that even Azula doesn't know. Because I made it up myself."

Zuko smiled.

* * *

Liu and Aang were practicing the air-scooter. Liu was picking it up pretty quickly.

"Good job, Liu." Aang said, though he didn't say it with much enthusiasm.

"This whole Earthbending thing is getting to you, isn't it?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"That's the problem, Aang. You need to confront this problem in order to make it go away. Ignoring an issue will only give it room to blow completely out of proportion. Take me for instance. I'm an Airbender, but I have the bluntness and headstrong attitude of an Earthbender sometimes. Yet I can Airbend without a problem."

"How is that helpful?"

"Aang, what is the opposite of air?"

"Earth, I guess."

"You guess correctly. You're working with your natural opposite, it's no surprise you'll have trouble with it. Toph _was_ being a little hard on you though. But I think that's just her way of showing that she cares. Deep down, I think she's actually worried about disappointing _you_."

"Me? Why would she be worried about disappointing _me_?"

"Call it a hunch, but you're the first Earthbending student she's ever had so she doesn't want to let you down. Give it a little time. You'll get the hang of Earthbending eventually. I mean, being the Avatar, you've done it thousands of times already."

Aang seemed to cheer up a little.

"Thanks Liu. Oh, and have you thought up your own Airbending move yet?"

Liu frowned.

"No, not yet. Usually I'm so creative, but I just can't seem to think of anything."

"Don't worry. You'll get it. I know you can."

The two Airbenders smiled at each other.

* * *

"Water is the element of change. The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything." Iroh had been explaining the meanings of the four elements to Zuko. Manna had been listening, and when she heard how he described water, it really resonated with her. "Did I describe that correctly, Ms. Manna?"

"Perfectly."

"Why are you telling me these things?" Zuko asked.

"It is important to draw wisdom from many different places." Iroh answered. "If we take it from only _one_ place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations will help you become whole."

"You're right, general." Manna responded. "Because no one ever taught me Waterbending for years, I learned to develop my own techniques based on the Earthbending forms my husband knew." _And the Airbending moves his mother showed me_.

"An excellent example."

"All this four elements talk is sounding like Avatar stuff." Zuko pointed out.

"It is the combination of the four elements in one person that makes the Avatar so powerful. But it can make _you_ more powerful too. You see, the technique I am about to teach you is one I learned by studying the Waterbenders."

Zuko seemed surprised by that.

* * *

"Hey Toph."

"Oh, hey Liu. You done with your fancy Airbending whohaw?"

"Yeah. Look, can we talk?"

"Sure."

The two girls sat down.

"Toph, why are you being so hard on Aang?"

"What? I'm just trying to teach him. It's not my fault he's a wimp."

Liu sensed that Toph was getting a bit defensive.

"He's not a wimp. He was just afraid to fail."

"It sounds like he's a wimp to me."

"You wouldn't call him a wimp if you've known what he's been through. He's done some truly amazing things. Some truly _fearless_ things. I can understand why you like him so much."

"What? I don't like Twinkletoes! You're crazy! Why would you even _think_ that I have a crush on him?"

"I never said 'crush', I said 'like'."

Toph blushed and gave an annoyed grunt. Liu smirked at the blind Earthbender.

"You know, Aang might respond better if you use a tactic that doesn't involve screaming and insults. And maybe if-"

Liu stopped. Something suddenly popped up into her mind.

"Hey Toph, have you sensed Sokka around lately? 'Cause I haven't seen him since this morning."

* * *

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sokka asked incredulously.

"Just enjoying the show." Toph replied as she ceased her clapping.

"What?" Aang added. "You two were there the whole time?"

"Pretty much."

"Why didn't you guys do something? Sokka was in trouble! _I_ was in trouble! You could've gotten him out and helped us get away!"

"Toph said not to get involved." Liu answered. "And, let's face it, you had the situation under control."

"Actually," Toph continued, "it just didn't occur to me."

Toph was about to crack open a nut with Aang's glider, again, but he stopped her.

"Enough!" He said sternly. "I want my staff back!"

Toph let him take it, then jumped down from where she was sitting on the rock.

"Do it now!"

"What?"

"Earthbend, Twinkletoes. You just stood your ground against a crazy beast. And even more impressive, you stood your ground against _me_. You've got the stuff."

"But-"

"Do it!"

Aang took his stance, and with one big push he sent a huge boulder flying.

"You did it! You're an Earthbender."

* * *

"You've always thrown everything you could at me!" The young Firebender shouted at the storm clouds, as the rain pelted hard upon the earth. "Well I can take it! And now I can give it back! Go on! Strike me! You've never held back before!"

Manna felt her heart breaking as she heard the shouts of the confused and angry young man. Unhesitatingly, she climbed up to the precipice where he stood. She found him kneeling, and weeping. She took the cloak from her shoulders and draped it over him. Her shrank slightly at her touch, but she persisted in wrapping comforting arms around him, lifting him up to walk him to safety.

* * *

"That was a very dangerous thing you did."

Zuko didn't answer.

"Your uncle was very worried about you."

Still nothing.

Manna sighed, placing the cup of tea down on the floor in front of her.

"Who were you thinking of?"

"What?"

"Out on the hill. Call me crazy, but I don't think those words were meant for the storm."

Zuko looked away.

Manna gave a sad smile.

"You remind me of someone I know. She came to our city a few months after my husband died. She was lost too. She had been hurt by someone she trusted, she had been forced to leave behind her home and the people she cared about. But she found herself eventually. You can do the same. I understand that you don't want to talk right now; but if you change your mind, I'm right here, ready to listen."

Zuko looked at the woman, he saw genuine concern in her eyes. It reminded him of his mother in a way. Manna looked at Zuko and saw pain, fear, confusion, and scars that ran deeper than the one on his face. This boy was lost, and he really did need some help getting on the right path.

**Ah yes, yet another chapter is done. Sorry it took all day, but I kept taking breaks to read other people's fanfiction or listen to music or...you all don't really care, do you? In case it slipped by you all, I will definitely be making this a Taang/Zutara fic. I actually wish I could end this without having to include Sukka, as it's not a big favorite of mine, but I'll go with it for this. I've been trying to make Manna as close to my actual mom as possible, but it's kinda difficult; I do see my mom as being a Good Samaritan type of person (She actually told me that she would prefer to give money to a fake beggar, than to deny a real beggar money that can help them). Well, I look forward to seeing some reviews. See ya later!**


	27. The Library

Helping Hand

**Sorry it took so long to get this out. I have been in Italy for the past three weeks, the Friday before we left, there was a power outage so I couldn't post anything. We got back this previous Thursday, but the internet was down until Saturday afternoon. Italy was beautiful by the way, wonderful country, but the drivers are kinda crazy. Anyway. You know the drill. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender, but wouldn't it be cool if I did?**

The Library

"What's out here?" Sokka asked the two Airbenders who were sitting cross-legged on the ground.

"A lot actually." Toph answered. "There's hundreds of little-"

Aang shushed her.

"I know you can see underground, but don't ruin the surprise."

Aang and Liu both put their flutes to their lips. Each time one of them played a note, a singing groundhog popped up and let out its adorable cry.

"We're putting an orchestra together." Liu said.

"Orchestra huh?" Sokka replied. "Well la de da."

Three groundhogs popped up in response. Liu and Aang continued playing their little notes until Sokka stopped them.

"This is great and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about? We should be making plans."

"We did make plans." Toph responded.

"Yeah, Sokka." Liu continued. "We're all picking mini-vacations."

"There's no time for vacations." The irate Water Tribe boy stated.

"I'm learning the elements as fast as I can." Aang replied. "I practice hard every day with Toph and Katara. I've been training my arrow off."

"Yeah Sokka," Liu added, "we've all earned a little time off. I'm only a few levels away from mastering Airbending. What more do you want from us?"

"Yeah," Katara said, "what's wrong with having a little fun in our downtime?"

"Even if you do master all of the elements," Sokka went on, "then what? It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation. Should we just head West until we reach the Fire Lord's house? Knock, knock. Hello? Fire Lord? Anybody home?-I don't think so. We need some intelligence if we're going to win this war."

Liu played a note on her flute and one of the groundhogs popped up in between Sokka's feet, causing the others to giggle.

"Alright," Katara stated, "we'll finish our vacations and then we'll look for Sokka's _intelligence_."

The Gaang decided to visit the Misty Palms Oasis, at Katara's decision. Of course, they were all shocked that it was such a dump.

"Wow," Liu said, "I guess the place must have changed ownership since I was here eight years ago."

"This place got like this in _eight years_?" Sokka said disbelievingly.

Liu shrugged.

* * *

"Professor Zei?"

"Princess Liu, it's good to see you again."

Liu turned to the others.

"Guys, this is Professor Zei. Head of the Anthropology department at Ba Sing Se University. I've been on a few expeditions with him."

"Just like her father." The Professor added. "Always so keen to learn about different cultures."

"Speaking of other cultures. Professor, this is Aang."

Professor Zei took note of Aang's tattoos.

"You're a living relic."

"Thanks." Aang replied.

"An Air Nomad, right in front of me."

"Yep, Aang's been teaching me Airbending. Because, as you recall, my late father was half Air Nomad." Liu continued.

"Oh, this is fascinating. Tell me, which of the Air Temples do you hail from?" Professor Zei asked Aang, while examining his arrow tattoos.

"The Southern Temple."

"Oh splendid. Now tell me, what was the primary agricultural product of your people?"

"Uh...are fruit pies an agricultural product?"

Sokka leaned over and whispered to Liu.

"Do you know everybody in the _world_? Or just the Earth Kingdom?"

Liu rolled her eyes.

"What do you expect? I _am_ a world-traveling princess."

* * *

"Liu, aren't you going into the library as well?" Aang asked.

"As much as I'd like to, Aang, something is telling me I need to wait out here with Toph."

"No complaints here." Toph said.

Liu smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You guys go. We'll be fine." Then something struck her. "Oh, but if you happen to encounter a giant owl-type creature, mention my name. He'll know who I am."

After giving her some weird looks, the others all went inside the library, leaving Liu and Toph waiting outside with Appa. Liu suddenly had the feeling that she should unpack the extra water and supplies.

"What are you doing?" Toph asked.

"Having one of my weird spirit-vibes. I have the funny feeling that we need to keep our supplies at-the-ready."

"Okay, whatever you say, Curly-cue."

"Toph, don't you think we're a little old to be using my nickname?"

"Hey, it's not my fault your hair is like koala-sheep wool." Toph grabbed Liu's copper curls and gave them a playful tug. "And no one is too old for my nicknames."

"I guess you're right."

* * *

Liu and Toph were taking a nap, when Appa suddenly started nudging them.

"I already told you," said Toph, "I don't wanna snuggle."

Then, the two girls realized the ground was shaking.

"Uh-oh." Liu said. "Library sinking."

"Library sinking!" The two shouted together.

Toph set to work trying to Earthbend the library into staying put. Liu was about to go in and get the others out, when a gang of Sandbenders showed up.

"What is it now?" Toph asked.

Liu instantly got into a battle stance.

"Toph, whatever you do, do _not_ let go of that library until the others get out."

The Sandbenders surrounded Appa, attempting to take him prisoner. Liu deflected each attack with either an Airbending strike or Energybending. The Sandbenders realized that she was too strong to fight.

"Take the girl too!" One of them shouted.

Liu suddenly found herself bound by ropes and being dragged away with Appa.

"Liu!" Toph shouted. "What's happening?"

"Toph! Do _not_ let go of that library!"

As Appa and Liu were dragged off, Toph hung her head.

"I'm sorry, guys."

* * *

"We got it!" Sokka declared. "There's a solar eclipse coming! The Fire Nation's in trouble now!"

Aang looked around, and noticed that two members of the group were missing.

"Where are Appa and Liu."

Toph shook her head sadly. In that moment, Toph was grateful that she was blind. It would have pained her beyond measure to see the tears that rolled down the Avatar's cheeks.

**Yes, finally. Bet you all didn't see **_**that**_** coming, did you? Total plot twist. Again, I'm sorry it took so long. But, I hope to write more soon. Bye.**


	28. The Desert

Helping Hand

**Okay, I'm back. Sorry to keep you hanging like that. Anyway, in our last chapter, Liu was taken along with Appa, a plot twist I'm sure no one has thought up. Boy, when those Sandbenders find out who she is...well, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Desert

The sand was starting to blow heavily around where the remaining members of the Gaang stood. Everyone was solemn, except for a certain Airbender who was furious.

"How could you let them take Liu and Appa?" He yelled at the blind Earthbender. "Why didn't you stop them?"

"I _couldn't_!" Toph retorted. "The library was _sinking_! You guys were still inside!"

"You could've come to get us! I could've saved them!"

"I can hardly feel any vibrations out here. And Liu told me not to let go for anything! The Sandbenders snuck up on us, and-"

"You just didn't _care_! You _let_ the Sandbenders take them!"

Toph grabbed Aang by the front of his shirt.

"Don't _ever_ say I don't care about Liu! She's my oldest, and for a long time my _only_, friend! She told me not to let go of the library until you guys were out! If I had let go of that library, you all would be buried!"

"Guys," Katara spoke up, "stop it. Aang, you know Toph did all she could. She saved our lives."

"Who's going to save our lives _now_?" Asked Sokka. "We'll never make it out of here."

"That's all any of you guys care about!" Aang shouted. "Yourselves! You don't care whether Liu and Appa are okay or not!"  
"We're all concerned," Katara pointed out, "but we can't afford to be fighting now."

"I'm going after Liu and Appa."  
With that, the young Avatar took off into the sky.

* * *

Meanwhile, a long way away, an old man, a middle-aged Water Tribe woman, and a scarred youth were travelling down a dusty road, with them they had an ostrich-horse and two kanga-dogs. The old man was starting to let off pained sounds, and clutching an injury he had sustained a few days before at the hands of his crazy niece.

"Maybe we should make camp." Zuko suggested.

"No, please," Iroh insisted, "don't stop just for me." He continued to let off pained groans.

Manna rolled her eyes.

"We need to stop anyway so I can check your wound."

They stopped and Zuko helped his uncle get down off the ostrich-horse. No sooner had Iroh seated himself on a nearby rock, than they heard the sound of rustling.

"What now?" Iroh asked.

His question was answered by the sudden appearance of a group of men that Manna and Iroh both recognized.

"Colonel Mongke." Iroh addressed the leader of the Rough Rhinos. "What a pleasant surprise."

"If you're surprised were here," Mongke responded, "then the Dragon of the West has lost a few steps."

"You know these guys?" Zuko asked his uncle.

"Sure. Colonel Mongke and the Rough Rhinos are legendary. Each one is a different kind of weapon's specialist. They are also a very capable singing group."

"We're not here to give a concert. We're here to apprehend fugitives." Mongke said. Then, he took notice of Manna. "Hey, I know you. You were travelling with the Avatar."

Zuko and Iroh both turned to Manna, surprise written on their faces.

"What I do with my time is my own business." She responded. "Now, are we going to fight or talk all day?"

The battle didn't last very long. Iroh took out a couple of the attackers, single-handed. Manna's Waterbending came in handy when Mongke started blasting fire in their direction, before Zuko knocked him down. Boomer and Gio, sensing Manna was in danger, changed into their full forms and attacked. Soon the travelers were able to make their escape.

"It's nice to see old friends." Iroh stated as they rode away.

"Too bad you don't have any old friends who don't want to attack you." Zuko replied.

"Hm, old friends that don't want to attack me?"

* * *

"Ah, this is interesting." Iroh pointed to a Pai Sho table off in the corner. There was an old man sitting there. "I think I found our friend."

"You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?" Zuko asked, irritation echoing in his voice.

Manna smiled.

"I don't think this is a gamble, young man."

The three walked over to the table.

"May I have this game?" Iroh asked the man.

"The guest has the first move." Iroh placed a tile down on the board. "I see you favor the White Lotus gambit. Not many still cling to the ancient ways."

"Those who do can always find a friend."

"Then let us play."

Zuko watched curiously as the two old men started putting down tiles at a dizzying speed. Manna just sat there with a slight smile, this wasn't the first time she'd seen a White Lotus Pai Sho match. The end result of the game was the image of a giant lotus made up of the Pai Sho pieces.

"Welcome, brother. The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets."

"What are you old gas-bags talking about?" Zuko asked.

Manna raised her brow.

"Did you never teach your nephew that Pai Sho is more than just a game?" She asked Iroh.

"I've tried." Iroh replied.

Suddenly, they heard a shout.

"I'm not waiting all night for these geezers to finish yapping!"

Manna recognized that voice. She turned and saw Xin Fu, the man who had recently tried to sell her daughter and the Avatar to the Fire Nation. When she looked over where he had been standing, she also saw Master Yu. She had no doubt in her mind that they were out here looking for Toph. Manna knew Lao and Poppy Bei Fong well enough to suspect them of hiring out two mercenaries like those just to get their daughter back.

"It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!"

"I knew it!" The old man Iroh had played Pai Sho with declared. "You are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!"

Zuko turned to glare at Iroh.

"I thought you said he would help."

"He is. Just watch."

* * *

The old man showed them into a small flower shop.

"It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus." The man said to Iroh, bowing as he did. "Being a Grand Master you must know so many secrets."

Iroh followed the man into the back room. Zuko and Manna waited outside.

"Why aren't _you_ in there?" Zuko asked.

"It's members only." Manna replied. "I'm not an official member, but my in-laws are. So I know _some_ things."

"I've been meaning to ask you something. When we were attacked by the Rough Rhinos, Colonel Mongke said you were travelling with the Avatar."

Manna turned to look at Zuko.

"My daughter is a close friend of Avatar Aang."

"The Water Tribe girl?"

"Who? Katara? No. She's my niece. She and her brother are _my_ brother's children. My daughter is the other Airbender. Liu. How do you think I know about you, Prince Zuko."

"If you're a Waterbender, then how is your daughter an Airbender? And how does she know the Avatar?"

"All in due time."

"No, tell me now."

Manna cocked an eyebrow.

"You're going to start issuing me orders? Even though I haven't turned you in. I knew those two men who tried to capture you. Okay, so they did try and kidnap my daughter and sell her out to the Fire Nation, but the point is that I could have easily given you over to them, but I didn't. So kindly leave me in peace. We should probably try and get some rest."

Manna went and curled up in a little corner of the shop. Boomer and Gio came and lay down next to her, staying wary in the presence of the banished prince.

* * *

Zuko and Manna were awoken by the sound of the door to the back room opening.

"What's going on?" Zuko asked. "Is the club meeting over?"

"Everything is taken care of." Iroh stated, bowing to the old man who had helped them. "We're heading to Ba Sing Se."

"Ba Sing Se?" Zuko asked incredulously.

"It makes sense." Manna spoke up. "I mean, the city is full of refugees. It's not like anyone would notice a couple more."

"Precisely." Iroh continued. "We can hide in plain sight there. And it's the safest place in the world from the Fire Nation. Even _I_ couldn't break through to the city."

Manna still felt unnerved. Going to Ba Sing Se meant going to the site of her husband's death. And she wasn't sure if she could face that. Just then the door opened and a man entered.

"I have the passports for our guests. But, there are two men out on the street looking for them."

This was a problem. They couldn't hide inside the shop and they couldn't go outside. But, it's lucky for them that Manna came from a long line of brilliant Water Tribe strategists. No one paid the slightest attention to the cart that bore three large flower pots. But if anyone had looked inside they would have found the Dragon of the West, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and the widow of Prince Anil of Omashu and her two kanga-dogs hiding inside.

**Yes, I finally got to finishing this chapter. Sorry if you were expecting to hear more about what happened to Liu and Appa, but you'll find out eventually. See you next time.**


	29. The Journey to Ba Sing Se

Helping Hand

**Hey, it's me again. Okay, I know you all are probably eager to find out what happened to Liu, but you're gonna have to wait a little longer. Believe me, I'm not used to building up suspense in a story. I'm not a huge fan of cliffhangers and I prefer to get to the point with stuff, but for the sake of storytelling I'm just gonna go with it. Okay, and please remember that, in the show, Zuko and Iroh used the names Lee and Mushi, respectively, while in the Earth Kingdom so please don't get confused if their fake names are used at the same time I refer to them by their real names. Well, you all know the drill, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Journey to Ba Sing Se

"No animals allowed!" The angry ticket lady shouted at Manna, who was not about to leave Boomer and Gio behind. The middle-aged Waterbender then produced an identification card which she showed to the lady. The ticket lady gasped when she saw the golden emblem depicting a badger-mole moving a mountain into two parts. "The official royal seal of the Na family?"

"Yes. I am the widow of the late Prince Anil. My husband and I have brought these kanga-dogs to Ba Sing Se before, and they will pose no trouble bringing them in now."

"O-of course your grace. Forgive my rudeness."

"Not a problem. You were just doing your job after all."

Manna and the two Firebenders walked off to get ready to depart on the next boat. Zuko and Iroh had, naturally, been surprised by the revelation that they were travelling with a fellow royal.

"Why didn't you tell us who you are?" Zuko asked.

"I didn't think it was important. Is it?" Manna replied.

Neither Zuko nor Iroh knew how to answer that.

* * *

The boat was steadily making its way to the outer walls of Ba Sing Se. Zuko, Iroh, and Manna were standing by the side of the vessel.

"Who would have thought," said Iroh, "after all these years, I'd return to the scene of my greatest military disgrace as a _tourist_?" He then put on a silly-looking straw hat.

"Look around." Zuko said irritably. "We're not tourists. We're refugees." Zuko picked up the bowl of gruel that substituted for food, took a sip of it, then spat it out in disgust. "Ugh! I'm sick of eating rotten food! Sleeping in the dirt. I'm tired of living like this."

"Aren't we all?" Came a voice from behind them. They all turned and saw a young man approached them. Manna instantly felt something was off with that boy, her suspicions were furthered when Boomer and Gio got into defensive stances and started to growl at him.

"My name's Jet." The boy introduced himself. "And these are my Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee and Longshot." He gestured to two other kids.

"Hello." Zuko greeted them somberly.

"Here's the deal. I hear the captain's eating like a king while us refugees have to feed off the scraps. Doesn't seem fair, does it?"

"What sort of king is he eating like?" Iroh asked.

"The fat, happy kind." Jet replied, then turned back to Zuko. "You wanna help us _liberate_ some food?"

Zuko looked down at the bowl he still held in his hands, and threw it overboard.

"I'm in."

Manna had heard enough.

"Excuse me, but are you suggesting stealing from a fellow member of the Earth Kingdom? Not only considering the fact that stealing in and of itself is wrong, you're willing to steal from the man who's taking all of us to safety?" She was met by confused looks. "Just thought I'd mention it. But, go ahead, do whatever you like." Manna then turned to Iroh and Zuko, giving them both 'the look', then walked off. Manna decided that she would try to do something _legal_ to help out the refugees, and she noticed that a number of them were sick and injured. Time to use those healing skills of hers.

* * *

"So, guys, where's Liu? And why are you getting tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?" Suki asked.

Everyone's faces fell.

"Liu and Appa are missing." Katara replied. "We hope to find them in Ba Sing Se."

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Suki turned to Aang. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm doing fine." Aang answered, a slight edge to his tone. "Would everybody stop worrying about me?"

Just then they were interrupted by some refugees they had met earlier. The refugees had had their belongings stolen, and it was then that there was no other choice. They had to journey through the Serpent's Pass.

* * *

Aang was standing by the ledge of where they were camped for the night, staring off at the ocean. Suddenly, he was approached by a certain blind Earthbender.

"Don't worry, Twinkletoes, Liu can handle herself, and she won't let anything happen to that giant fuzzball." Aang stayed silent. "What's your deal, Twinkletoes? Back in the desert you threw that big temper-tantrum when they went missing, and now you're acting like you don't care diddly-squat about what happens to them."

"You know what I did out there. I was so angry about losing Liu and Appa that I couldn't control myself. I hated feeling like that. And I took out my anger on you, and that wasn't fair. I'm sorry about that, Toph."

"It's okay, Twinkletoes." Toph playfully punched his arm. "I know you're still upset though. And you shouldn't be keeping all that bottled up. I know what it's like to keep your feelings hidden like that, and let me tell ya, not a good idea." _What would Katara do in this situation?_ Toph thought to herself. Toph stretched out her arms. "Come on. You need a hug."

Aang looked at her, puzzled.

"That's not a request, Twinkletoes. Either you hug me, or I Earthbend your butt off this cliff."

Hesitantly, Aang hugged her. And, though she would never admit it to _anyone_, Toph actually liked the hug.

"Thanks, Toph."

* * *

Manna sat there, indignation practically written on her face, as Jet and Zuko handed out the spoils of their little theft scheme. She decided that she would abstain from eating stolen goods, and stuck to the gruel she had been given earlier.

"So," Iroh addressed Smellerbee, "Smellerbee? That's an unusual name for a young man."

"Maybe it's because I'm not a man, I'm a _girl_." She replied, and started to storm off.

"Great going, Mushi." Manna said sarcastically. "Even _I_ could tell she's a girl."

"Oh, now I see!" Iroh declared, trying to correct his error. "It's a beautiful name for a lovely girl!"

The boy, Longshot, walked over to Smellerbee. Manna didn't hear him say anything, but the two must've had some sort of understanding. Jet came and joined them.

"From what I heard, people eat like this every night in Ba Sing Se. I can't wait to set my eyes on that giant wall."

"It is a magnificent sight." Iroh said.

"So you've been there before?"

"Once. When I was a..different man."

"I've done some things in my past that I'm not proud of, but that's why I'm going to Ba Sing Se. For a new beginning. A second chance."

"That's very noble of you. I believe people can change their lives if they want to. I believe in second chances."

Manna decided to step in.

"Ba Sing Se is a place where _many_ new things can change a person's life. Not all of them for the good." She caressed the ring on her left hand, feeling the cool sapphire in its electrum band.

Everyone turned to her. Just then a young woman came over to Manna.

"Excuse me, miss? Someone told me you could help me." The woman rolled up her sleeve to reveal a nasty burn. Manna Waterbended some water from her pouch and onto her hands, which she then placed on the woman's burn. The burn healed almost completely, leaving only a slight scar. "Thank you so much."

"Not at all."

As the woman walked off, Jet turned to Manna.

"You're a Waterbender?"

"Very observant of you." She replied sarcastically. "Yes, I'm a Waterbender. If you're wondering why a Waterbender isn't in the Water Tribes, you should know I am officially a citizen of the Earth Kingdom." She cast he eyes to the floor. "My husband was an Earthbender, a General in the Earth Kingdom army. Going to Ba Sing Se is unbelievably hard for me. It's the place where he..."

"We've all lost people we care about to the _Fire Nation_." Jet added, a note of hatred in his voice as he said the name of the nation who took his family from him.

Manna looked up again.

"The Fire Nation isn't always responsible for the bad things that happen."

Everyone looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean?" Jet asked.

"A couple months ago, my family received a letter from my late husband's cousins. They had been secretly operating an intelligence unit in the small Earth Kingdom village of Gaipan."

At the mention of the town's name, Jet tensed. It was the town he had destroyed in his attempt to 'free' it from the Fire Nation.

"They were lucky to make it out of there alive. According to the report, some rebels had decided to wipe out the entire village by blowing up the dam. It's a good thing someone warned the villagers in time, as our spy, who goes around dressed as an old Fire Nation man, said that he had delivered a vital piece of information to them. And if they hadn't gotten out when they did then, not only would they be dead, but the Fire Nation would have won a very important battle and many thousands of lives would have been lost."

"Uh, yeah, don't you hate it when stuff like that happens?" Jet said nervously. Manna could see he was getting uneasy, and began to feel that somehow he had something to do with the incident. Even Zuko and Iroh noticed it, and they began to get a little suspicious too.

"I just hate the fact that some people are willing to do whatever it takes to get rid of the Fire Nation, even to the point where it becomes tantamount to mass-murder. But, enough about this. Where did you say you're from?"

* * *

"Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Sokka asked.

"That." Aang replied, pointing to the giant Fire Nation drill that was heading straight for Ba Sing Se's outer wall.

**Woohoo! Another chapter DONE! I love how I totally altered that one scene so that it was Toph who comforted Aang instead of Katara. Nailed it! See you all soon. I'm looking forward to the next episode, I'm going to skip over The Drill episode and go straight on to the one after that. 'kay? See you all next time.**


	30. City of Walls and Secrets

Helping Hand

**Yes indeedy. I'm back. Hope you all liked that last chapter because- **_**There is no fanfiction in Ba Sing Se. Here we are safe from shipping wars. Here we are free from irritating OCs.**_** Haha, just kidding. Bet you all thought Long Feng brainwashed me (again *Don't ask*). But no, I'm perfectly *Twitch* fine *Twitch* nothing's wrong *Twitch* with me. Well, let's get this show on the road. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender (The Dai-Li do).**

City of Walls and Secrets

"Miss Manna, I've been meaning to ask you something." Iroh said as he, Manna, and Zuko made their way along the road to where Iroh had gotten the three of them jobs at a local tea shop.

"Yes?"

"Is your family aware that you are travelling with us? I'm just curious because you know you no longer have to continue staying with us."

"Trying to get rid of me? Am I really that boring?"

Iroh chuckled at her little jest.

"No, no. It's just that, you probably have family in the city who can take you in. You don't have to stay in the Lower Ring with us."

"While that is true, I feel as though I haven't yet exhausted my usefulness. If my family needs me, they'll find me."

The three continued on to the tea shop, unaware that the leader of the Freedom Fighters was watching them. Jet had determined that Iroh and Zuko were Fire Nation spies when he saw Iroh heating his tea. As yet, Jet couldn't figure out why Manna, a Waterbender and the widow of an Earth Kingdom General/Prince who had been killed by the Fire Nation, was travelling with them; unless, of course, she didn't know she was helping _the enemy_.

* * *

"You certainly look like official tea-servers." Their new boss said. "How do you feel?"

"Ridiculous." Zuko answered with irritation.

"Does this possibly come in a larger size?" Iroh inquired as he tried to tie the strings of his apron.

"I have extra string in the back." The manager then poured three cups of tea. "Have some tea while you wait."

Manna and Iroh both drank their cups, then gagged in revulsion.

"This tea is nothing more than _hot-leaf juice_." Manna stated.

"That's what _all_ tea is." Zuko said, as if such a thing should be obvious.

Manna gasped and Iroh got an affronted look.

"How could a member of my own family say something so horrible?" Iroh responded. "And in front of a lady, too." Iroh grabbed the teapot. "We'll have to make some major changes around here." He promptly dumped the tea out the window.

* * *

With Iroh and Manna brewing the tea at the little tea shop, business was booming. Manna was just happy to be out working again. After she had married Anil, she had never really had to do any work other than what is expected of the wife of a prince. When she had first left home, she travelled around doing odd-jobs. She always told people that she had simply fallen in love with Omashu and had stayed there ever since, but the truth was that she had gone all the way to Ba Sing Se, and Anil met her in a tea shop, not unlike the one she was working in now. He told her she made the best tea he had ever had, and things just sort of went on from there.

When that boy, Jet, burst through the door of the tea shop and declared Iroh and Zuko to be Firebenders, Manna resisted the urge to do a facepalm. Hadn't anyone told that boy that you're never supposed to mention the war inside Ba Sing Se? Manna herself had been surprised by the law when she was last in Ba Sing Se, the last time she saw Anil alive, she had been forced to tell people he died in a 'construction accident', and that was truly painful for her.

When Jet was carried off by the Dai-Li, she didn't really feel sorry for him. After all, he had brought it on himself by his carelessness, to say the least of his prejudice against all Firebenders despite the fact that neither Zuko nor Iroh had done anything to harm him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Upper Ring, two girls were sneaking into a party.

"As your escort, it would be dishonorable to abandon you ladies without finding your family first. We'll keep looking."

Katara and Toph followed Long Feng nervously. Terrified that, at any moment, their disguises would be blown. Suddenly, Toph stopped and pointed. Katara shifted her gaze and had to fight the urge to gasp. Standing over by some posh nobles, all dressed up, and totally at ease, was Liu.

She was wearing an aquamarine colored gown, with a high collar and long sleeves, that had elegant gold trimmings. Her usually simple gold stud earrings had been replaced by longer ones that had blue gems in them. Katara had never seen Liu wear her hair up in anything more than a plain ponytail, but now her copper locks had been neatly styled and fastened by a white flower. The only thing familiar about her appearance was the gold medallion around her neck that declared her the Crown Princess of Omashu, and the fact that she was the only woman in the entire room who wasn't wearing ten tons of makeup.

Liu seemed to notice them and walked over. Only, she didn't greet them as they expected.

"Minister, would you mind introducing me to your friends?"

Long Feng turned and gave a genteel bow to Liu.

"Princess Liu-rong, I was merely assisting these young ladies in locating their family."

Liu reached out a hand to greet them. Katara gave Liu their fake names, hoping she would catch on and give them an alibi.

"I've never seen you two around before. Are you new to Ba Sing Se?"

"Oh, you don't remember us? We were at that beach resort together that one Summer." Katara responded, desperately trying to get Liu to help them out. Liu just got a puzzled look.

"I'm sure it'll come to me. I'll take over if you don't mind, minister."

"Of course." Long Feng then walked off.

Katara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, Liu, you can drop the act."

"What act?"

"Where have you been?" Toph asked. "We've been worried about you. And where's Appa?"

"Appa? What's an Appa?"

"Seriously, Liu, you don't have to keep up whatever weird act you're putting on." Katara said.

"You two are clearly confused." Liu continued, she seemed as though she had literally no idea what they were talking about.

"Look, we need to see the Earth King, it's very important."

"My cousin Kuei should be here very soon. He threw this entire party for his pet bear! I didn't even know there were such things as just plain _bears_."

Now it was getting scary. Liu didn't seem to recognize them at all, and she had started showing them around the grand hall, pointing out things to them.

"...And the gardens are absolutely exquisite, you _must_ visit them. I even painted this picture of them earlier today." Liu withdrew a small sheaf of paper with a fairly decent watercolor painting on it and handed it to them. Before they could give it back, she got distracted and left it with them. Toph took the painting in her hands and stiffened, she then slid the paper inside her gown.

* * *

"Another crab puff, please."

"You found us!" Aang exclaimed.

"I'd know your little footsteps anywhere, Twinkletoes."

"Thanks for letting us in." Sokka said sarcastically.

"Sorry," Katara responded, "we got a little sidetracked. And something weird is definitely going on. You're not going to believe this, but we found Liu."

Sokka and Aang looked shocked.

"You found Liu? Where?" Aang asked eagerly.

"She's over there," Katara pointed to where she saw Liu walk off to, "but she's acting strange."

"Strange how?" Sokka asked.

"She didn't recognize us, at first we thought it was an act until-"

Just then, they were interrupted by Joo Dee.

* * *

"Guys, there's something I've got to tell you." Toph said once they were back at the house.

"What is it, Toph?" Aang asked.

Toph pulled the sheet of paper from her robe.

"When we met Liu at the party, she showed us this."

Sokka took the paper.

"Huh, pretty decent drawing."

"It's not the drawing, Snoozles. There's self-fade ink on it."

"Toph, are you sure?" Katara asked.

"Positive. Liu taught me how to detect earth particles in certain kinds of ink, so she could teach me how to read. There is earth-based invisible ink on that paper."

"What does it say?"

Toph put her hand on the paper and focused.

"It says: _Remember the neutral Jing. _What the heck does _that_ mean?"

"She's waiting." Aang spoke up. "Waiting for the right time to strike. She wants us to figure out something and then she can help us. But, right now, I think we need to keep our distance."

"Wait, there's something else here. But I can't seem to make it out."

Sokka took the painting, and began to hold it up to the light when he noticed something.

"Hey, check this out."

He held it up to a lantern on one of the side tables. Within moments, words appeared on the formerly blank back.

"It's some kind of poem:

_A blue veil on a green secret,_

_Don't look at the light,_

_It will steal your soul._

_Watch their eyes,_

_An invitation will seal your doom._

_Best to come uninvited,_

_But that can be worse still._

_Find what they have taken._"

"Okay, Curly-cue has definitely lost it." Toph stated.

**Bet you all didn't see that coming. I came up with that poem myself, I guess that's what happens when you take a course in Creative Writing. Anyway, just so things make sense, I'm going to write Liu and Appa's story next, and then the Tales of Ba Sing Se. Hope you all like where I'm going. See ya later.**


	31. Liu and Appa's Lost Days

Helping Hand

**Okay, I know you've all been patient. I hate cliffhangers too, but just bear with me. It's finally time to find out what happened to Liu and Appa on their little adventure. We start today's adventure a few weeks before our illustrious heroes reached Ba Sing Se, on the day the Sandbenders took our two lovable buddies. And now, without more ado, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. Oh, I have decided to do this in Liu's POV, and in 1st person. Also, I don't own the lyrics to the song Razzle Dazzle from the musical Chicago.**

Liu and Appa's Lost Days

Okay, I gotta say, destiny is a funny thing, especially when the spirits decide to get involved. I knew something was up when I had the feeling we should unpack our stuff from Appa's saddle, at least those idiot Sandbenders didn't get their hands on anything of consequence. I'm sure by now you all know I'm pretty easy-going, maybe, but lately I've been feeling that the spirits have been screwing me over. I hope you'll pardon my language, but I've been through a _lot_ as of late. I'm sure you have all been wondering what happened to me and Appa that day in the desert and how we ended up in Ba Sing Se. You are also probably curious as to why I have been acting so weird. Well, I'll tell you. It started a couple weeks ago.

"Toph, do _not_ let go of that library!" I yelled to my friend as I was bound in ropes. You see, being an Energybender is a great advantage against Bending; the only downside is that it's not much good against other kinds of attack, like ropes. Spirits how I hate being tied up with ropes. Their tight and scratchy, and worst of all I can't do a thing against them.

Those Sandbenders clearly don't understand the concept of human and animal rights, that's why Appa and I were being dragged away. I still have a kink in my shoulder from being dragged through the desert. I'm pretty sure I never want to go to the desert again after this, _ever_. When the Sandbenders had dragged us off a good distance from where we had been, they began to rummage through Appa's saddle. It's a good thing I took out everyone's stuff, you know, the sleeping bags, the extra food and water, Katara's scrolls, and my knapsack and my grandma's old glider. No way was I letting these thugs take our stuff. That's probably why they got so ticked off when they didn't find anything. One of the guys said something about finding treasure in Appa's saddle. Seriously? What gave them the impression that we were hoarding loot? Did we _look_ like treasure hunters? And who would be stupid enough to carry treasure out here into the desert? Okay, maybe I'm being a little hypocritical as I did have quite a large quantity of money and a few valuable items in my knapsack, but how would _they_ know that?

"That's it! Nothing but garbage!" The leader of this little operation shouted as he kicked one of Sokka's clubs away.

"One man's garbage is another man's treasure." I said.

"Shut up!" He shouted at me.

"Excuse me? If you didn't want me to complain, you shouldn't have kidnapped me! Did you expect me to be thrilled about being tied up and dragged for miles across the desert?"

"I said SHUT UP!"

I rolled my eyes, but said nothing. It probably wouldn't have helped anyway. I figured that if the spirits had refused to stop this from happening, then they must have a pretty good reason. You see, the thing I never told anyone about being a Spirit Well is that if I die without passing on my gift, then the Spirit World will collapse upon itself, and that will lead to an apocalyptic nightmare that would engulf the world in terror such as...well, let's just say it wouldn't end well. So basically, the spirits have to watch my back or they're all dead. Probably the reason why I'm an Energybender, but where was I? Oh yeah, the Sandbenders were about to sell me and Appa to some merchants to make up for their lack of treasure.

They dragged us even further, over to a place where some tents were set up and a bunch of men in beetle-shaped hats were waiting. I overheard them barter for Appa, and I knew I couldn't let anything bad happen to the big fuzz-ball or Aang would never forgive me. And the last thing I need is to let someone down. I was, surprisingly enough, relieved when the merchants bought me as well as Appa, although, I'm not too pleased about being sold as I am a human being and have rights. Things got even more stressful when Appa started to rattle around in his confines, I had a feeling that it must have been Aang blowing his bison-whistle. What else could have made the big guy so jumpy? Appa almost escaped, but the merchants had shirshu spit-darts and were able to knock the poor creature unconscious. The merchants then proceeded to take us both out of the desert. I really felt bad for Appa, every time he seemed to wake up they would put him back to sleep.

"What are you going to do with us?" I asked one of the merchants.

"Your Sandbender buddies told us all about your neat little trick." He replied. "We know just the people who would want the two of you."

I was still curious what he meant by that, but I didn't have to wait long before I saw the circus tent. I hate the circus, I've never wanted to go see it. My dad was scared of clowns so we never went anyway, and for that I was grateful. Appa and I were presented before the circus-master, who looked us over as if he were inspecting rare antiques.

"Hm, so what can they do?" The man asked. He was a skinny guy, with white hair and a moustache that curled at the edges. His robes were funny too, but I guess that comes with working at a circus.

"Well, this animal," the merchant gestured to Appa, "can fly. I guess he's some kinda...wind-buffalo or something."

I almost snickered at the man's ignorance. How stupid was this guy that he hadn't thought to ask what kind of creature Appa was in the first place. The circus-master then turned to me.

"And this girl? What can _she_ do?"

"I have a name, you know." I snapped at him. "And I can talk for myself."

One of the men who restrained me smacked me over the head. I'm not used to getting smacked, so it hurt pretty bad. I hate to admit it, but on the rare occasions I _have_ gotten hit in the past, I start to tear up a bit. And such was the case now. I guess it played out in my favor, sort of, because I must have given the circus-master the impression that I talk tough but am actually a weakling, because he didn't take my outburst as a deal-breaker.

"The girl, at least from what we've been told, can repel Bending and blast air." The merchant went on. The circus-master's eyes widened. I knew he would have to make me an addition to his circus.

Appa was led away to be looked after by the animal-trainer. Call me crazy, but I seriously doubted the animal-trainer would care about animal rights anymore than the Sandbenders or the beetle-headed merchants. The reason for my suspicions? Well, I kinda got the impression that this was a _Fire Nation_ circus, what with all the Firebenders, and all the red that people wore. I'm not being racist, it's just that I sort of get a very bad feeling about how the Fire Nation views the rights of animals. The circus-master led me to a back room in the tent. I winced at the sight of how pink it was.

"This room belonged to my last star performer. Hopefully you will make up for her departure." He said.

"What happened to her?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"She was recruited by Princess Azula to hunt down a couple of fugitives."

Then it hit me. So this is where crazy-chick got her chi-blocking partner in crime? So I guessed now I was going to be her substitute. But there was no way in the Spirit World I would wear pink. I just don't think the color goes well on me. Not that I hate pink as a rule, it's just that there are colors that look much better on me.

"Behave yourself and you won't get punished." He cautioned. He then took note of the weapons I still had in my possession. Thank the spirits the Sandbenders hadn't been interested in them; cause if they had been, I would have laid down some serious hurt on them, ropes or no ropes. "You know how to handle those weapons?"

"Yes." I said.

"Then demonstrate." He led me into the main performance area. I went through demonstrating my skills with each weapon, as well as showing off my hand-to-hand. Then, without warning, he shot a blast of fire at me that I repelled without even having to blink.

"Amazing." The man said as he approached. "I have never seen anything like that. You and the wind-buffalo will be my star-attractions tonight."

I repressed the urge to correct him, and instead focused on planning how I would get myself and Appa out of here. A few hours before show-time, I requested to see Appa; I explained that I simply wanted to make sure he was alright. The circus-master seemed fine with it, and allowed me access. He had business with his animal-trainer anyway. I really didn't like meeting the animal-trainer. I could see, right away, that he was a cold-hearted man with no concern for how the animals felt about their situation. Probably the only reason he was being polite to me was because I didn't have fur or feathers. I felt even more sorry for Appa, seeing him in that cage, weak and tired and probably hungry. I didn't dare try to slip him some food, in fear that the animal-trainer or the circus-master would see. The two began a slight argument about whether Appa was ready to perform, and walked off a ways. Just then, I noticed a young boy enter the tent. He moved a bale of hay over for Appa to eat, Appa responded by licking the boy's face. The boy took notice of me and got worried, so I responded by smiling and putting a finger against my lips to let him know that I wouldn't rat him out. Suddenly, the two men came back and the boy scrammed out of there.

"He's a difficult creature." The trainer explained. "Stubborn and willful. I need more time with him. It's too risky right now."

"Too risky?" The circus-master demanded. "What are you talking about? This is the circus! Home of fear and danger! I want the wind-buffalo to perform _tonight_!"

The circus master then led me back to my dressing room and told me to get ready. A fancy costume had been laid out for me. Luckily enough it wasn't pink. It was white and gold, with fancy trimmings and a gold tiara to go with it. A rather surly-looking woman came in after I was dressed and proceeded to do my hair and makeup. I felt absolutely ridiculous. The woman then led me to where the circus-master was waiting. He handed me my weapons, as he had taken them during my demonstration. He then, quickly, went over the routine with me. It's a good thing I have such a retentive memory, or I would have died trying to remember all the moves he told me to do. Now, I'll tell you one thing, I'm _no_ acrobat. But, I have pretty good balance and all those dancing lessons I had didn't hurt either. And, being an Airbender, I would say I don't fear heights. One other thing that came in handy while I was performing, I _never_ get stage-fright. Never have and I doubt I ever will. I'm actually much more confident when I perform, because everything has been all set out and I have a pretty clear idea of what I'm supposed to do. Meeting people, that's another matter. I'm perfectly fine when I'm around family or really good friends, but I'm actually pretty shy. I've gotten over it more as I've gotten older, but that fear is still there.

Performing, I felt on top of the world. Quite literally as I was on a trapeze. My balance is good, but I did have to employ my Airbending at certain points. And then came the part when I fell. I could feel the panic radiating from the crowd; that is, of course, until I used my Airbending to make myself levitate in midair, to the oohs and ahs of the audience. I did a bunch of spirals and things and they all cheered. I remembered a song I once heard in a play, years ago, and it played in my head while I performed.

_Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle. Razzle Dazzle 'em. _

_Give 'em an act with lots of flash in it,_

_and the reaction will be passionate._

_Give 'em the old Hocus Pocus,_

_bead and feather 'em._

_How can they see with sequins in their eyes?_

_What if your hinges all are rusting?_

_What if, in fact, you're just disgusting?_

_Razzle Dazzle 'em, and they'll never catch wise._

_Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle. Razzle Dazzle 'em._

_Give 'em a show that so splendiferous,_

_row after row they grow vociferous._

_Give 'em the old flim-flam flummox,_

_fool and fracture 'em._

_How can they hear the truth above the roar?_

_Throw 'em a fake and a finagle,_

_they'll never know you're just a bagel._

_Razzle Dazzle 'em and they'll beg ya for more._

_Give 'em the old double-whammy,_

_daze and dizzy 'em._

_Back since the days of old Methuselah,_

_everyone loves the big bamboozle-ah._

_Give 'em the old three-ring-circus,_

_stun and stagger 'em._

_When you're in trouble, go into your dance._

_Though you are stiffer than a girder,_

_they let you get away with murder._

_Razzle Dazzle 'em, and ya got a romance._

_Give 'em the old Razzle Dazzle. Razzle Dazzle 'em._

_Show 'em the first-rate sorcerer you are._

_Long as you keep 'em way off balance,_

_how can they spot ya got no talents?_

_Razzle Dazzle 'em._

_Razzle Dazzle 'em._

_Razzle Dazzle 'em._

_And they'll make you a star!_

And that, dear friends, more or less sums up my performance. I did just what the singer in that play said, and devoted my attention to winning the audience over so it wouldn't seem suspicious when I planned on making a spectacular get-away with Appa. Everything I needed was with me. My weapons, my clothes that I had neatly stowed in Appa's saddle that I had convinced the circus-master to keep (and which was now painted in gold to match his outrageous costume), and my gold medallion that I had tucked into my top. I had just concluded my performance when they brought Appa out. He looked even more ridiculous than I did, poor fellow. I knew there would be trouble when Appa resisted the animal-trainer, Spirits I hated that guy (and I don't usually hate people). My hopes started to fall when Appa began to comply with the man's demands; but when Appa's costume caught fire on one of the flaming hoops, Appa panicked and flicked the hoop away causing it to crash into the animal-trainer and knock him out. The audience was in hysterics at the humorous sight, and I saw the perfect opportunity. Thankfully, despite my change in appearance, Appa knew it was me and allowed me to Airbend up onto his saddle. Right before we took off, I saw the little boy from earlier. In a way, the kid reminded me of Aang, oh how I miss the little cue-ball. We almost had a problem when the animal-trainer recovered and shot fire at us, but Appa hit the man with his tail and sent him flying out of the tent. Finally, Appa and I managed to get away.

Something told me that the others had managed to get out of the desert, so I steered Appa away from there and got us to a secluded wood. It was a peaceful place, and there was a stream and some fruit trees, so we both got enough to eat and drink for the time being. I then sat down to meditate, hoping that Lu Ten would have some good advice for me. I was in luck, as soon as I sat down to meditate I got sucked into that trance that I am so accustomed to. It's really weird entering the Spirit World, no matter how many times you do it. It's like you fade into a haze and become as light as fog, you see the whole mortal world flash by you as you are suddenly swept away by a powerful wind and then sucked into a dark hole that goes down into the deepest part of the Earth. Of course, if you haven't been there as often as I have it would be pretty off-putting to be greeted by hysterical laughter.

_"Hahaha, Liu...pfft..what are you wearing...haha?"_

_"Nice to see you too, Lu Ten. And could you knock that out? You sound like a hyena-donkey."_

_"Sorry. I know you've been through a lot lately, and it probably doesn't help that I'm laughing at how you're dressed."_

_"Gee, ya think so?" I said sarcastically. Ordinarily I wouldn't talk like that to Lu Ten, he's like a big brother to me as well as being my Spirit Guide and best friend, but I was very stressed and let's just say I was not too enthusiastic about being laughed at. "So, Lu, where am I headed now?"_

_"Don't you even know where you're going?"_

_I gave him a 'look'._

_"I don't even know where Appa and I __**are**__. Just tell me where I need to go. I need to find Aang and the others."_

_"Do you wish to find Aang, or do you wish to know where you need to go?"_

_"Aren't they the same thing?"_

_It was his turn to give me a 'look'. It's one of those looks where someone is silently saying 'Isn't it obvious that there's more to it than that? Are you really that dim?' Spirits how I hate that look. And he makes it seem all innocent with his big, amber eyes, with all their secret wisdom. And that only makes it worse._

_"Alright, Lu, you win. Just tell me where to go."_

_"The Eastern Air Temple. And don't be surprised if you find it to not be vacant."_

And that's how me and a ten-ton flying-bison that belongs to my grandmother's younger brother, who is the physical incarnation of a supernatural manifestation of all the elements and a bridge between the human and spirit worlds, ended up at the Eastern Air Temple with a weird old guy called Guru Pathik. He's an interesting guy, quirky and kinda strange, but so am I so I shouldn't throw stones. By the time we had reached the temple, I had cleaned all the stupid paint and stuff off of Appa and managed to break the chains off of his feet, I had also changed back into my regular clothes and washed off the makeup. Anyway, Guru Pathik explained that he had a message that needed to be delivered to Aang. So, being the person I am, I agreed to take it to Aang. After meditating some more, by focusing on the energy that links Aang and Appa, I was able to figure out that they were headed for Ba Sing Se. So, I thought I should meet up with them there if that's where they wanted to go. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Did I mention I was stupid? I should have taken the hint and gone to find where they were at the precise moment. But _no_, I just _had_ to make it a surprise. No sooner were we flying over Ba Sing Se then Appa reacted to what I assumed was Aang's bison-whistle. As soon as we landed in a darkened alleyway, I knew something was up. Remember how I said I hate being tied up with rope? I _really_ hate being tied up with rope after _this_ incident. I got taken to some underground hideout, where these creeps in robes tied me to a chair. Then, some old guy with his hair tied back in a braid showed up. I knew _exactly _who that guy was.

"Long Feng? _Long_ time no see." I chuckled.

"Princess Liu-rong, it is an honor to see you again." He replied.

"Wish I could say the same. You still keeping my cousin under your thumb? Ruling behind a puppet-king? Who would've thought the little street-punk would rise to be the most powerful man in Ba Sing Se?" My temper was getting the better of me. I really didn't like Long Feng. As a kid, I used to visit my cousin, King Kuei. (If you think it's weird that I have so many cousins, please remember that I'm a royal, and as a royal I am connected to a large number of noble Earth Kingdom families in one way or another. You get the picture.) Well, when I visited Kuei, Long Feng made sure I never mentioned the hundred-year war to him. When my dad got killed, I was forced to say that it had been in a 'construction accident'. I swear, one of these days, I'll have Long Feng locked up in one of his own dank little cells.

Then came the brainwashing. Or, at least, the _attempted_ brainwashing. I thought I was going to get some kind of seizure from that spinning light, you see my mom has a history of bad reactions to strobe lights and I'm worried that I might have inherited that. Thank the spirits for meditation-induced trances. I was able to keep looking at the light, so they thought it was working, as well as hear the fake memories they wanted to give me and still have complete control over my free-will. When they told me to sleep, I closed my eyes and forced myself into a stasis.

Now, here I am. In my own personal chambers in the royal palace, supposedly on an extended stay here to learn more about governing as I am still the Crown Princess of Omashu, as they never told Kuei that it got conquered. It's a good thing I sometimes have premonitions, because how else would I have known that the others would show up at that party. My cousin had gotten himself a pet bear. Yes, I know what you're thinking. You probably think I meant platypus-bear, armadillo-bear, skunk-bear, or even gopher-bear. But no, I just mean _bear_. I know, I didn't know they existed either. But, for whatever reason, my cousin was throwing a party in honor of the bear, whose name I learned was Bosco. I just had this weird feeling in the early hours of the morning that I needed to find a way to get a message across to the others. So, I went out to 'practice my painting' in the imperial gardens, which are beautiful by the way (just my attempt to lighten the mood). Later, I took the painting back to my chambers. I mixed two self-fade-ink solutions that my dad had taught me how to make, and I wrote two messages.

At the party, I had to keep up the act that I didn't recognize the others. I knew it would be too risky to try and help their charade, because if they were discovered then my cover would be blown. So, I managed to get the painting into Toph's hand, and I saw the look on her face that showed she knew what was on the paper. I had taught her how to read, using earth-based ink, and I knew she got the message. I just hope they can get me out of here and tell Kuei whatever it is they seemed so eager to tell him. Until then, I will have to be patient.

**Finally, I got through this. It took me forever to write, not to mention there was the whole problem with my computer that is all cleared up now. Hope to see you all soon. I start school next week, so I won't be able to update as often. Bye.**


	32. The Earth King

Helping Hand

**Hey, it's me again. Sorry to leave you all hanging again, but things are getting pretty hectic, what with me starting college and everything. Wish me luck. Okay, I've decided to just skip over Tales of Ba Sing Se, as I don't think it would contribute anything to the plot. And, seeing as how neither Liu nor her mother would be involved in the Lake Loagai incident, I have decided to skip that as well. Now, on with the story. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Earth King

Liu knew that the time to come clean about all she knew was now. The sight of the flying-bison racing towards the imperial palace and the royal guards trying to stop it was all the indication she needed. Liu had never liked wearing dresses; they limited her movement, especially when she was trying to run really fast. She had to get to Kuei before it was too late, and it also didn't help that the Dai-Li had decided to follow her.

"Princess Liu," said one, "there are intruders approaching the palace, you need to get somewhere safe."

Liu tried to think up a logical excuse, but the clock was ticking.

"Aw, to the Spirit World with this." She said and unleashed a humongous blast of air that sent the Dai-Li agents zooming back to crash against the wall. She then kicked off the fancy shoes she had been wearing and hiked up her skirt and ran like an Airbender. She arrived just as the Gaang came bursting in through the large, fancy door that opened directly into the throne room.

"A little warning next time!" Sokka shouted angrily at the others as he had been knocked down when Aang had blasted the door open with his Airbending. The guys all got into their battle stances when the Dai-Li lined up to fend them off.

"We need to talk to you." Aang said to Kuei.

"They're here to overthrow you." Long Feng lied.

"No, we're on your side." Sokka countered. "We're here to help."

"You have to trust us." Katara added.

"You invade my palace," Kuei responded, "lay waste to all my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?"

"He has a good point." Toph said.

"If you're on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down."

The Gaang complied with his request.

"See?" Aang said with a nervous grin. "We're friends, your earthiness."

Just then, Long Feng signaled the Dai-Li to seize them. Liu felt that now was as good a time as any.

"Kuei, what are you doing?"

"Liu, these four tried to overthrow me, I am simply having them arrested."

"Indeed, your highness." Long Feng added. "These four are dangerous conspirators and will be imprisoned."

"Not while I'm around." Liu retorted, ignoring the shocked look on Long Feng's face. "These are not conspirators. That boy is the Avatar." She pointed to Aang. "They're here because of an important reason, and you must hear them out."

"Wait, the _Avatar_?" Kuei inquired.

"What does it matter, your highness?" Long Feng said. "They're enemies of the state."

"The only enemy is _you_, Long Feng!" Liu declared. "You've been secretly controlling the entire city behind my cousin's back, and the reason why you want these four arrested is because they were trying to warn him about it."

"And we have important information about the war." Sokka pointed out.

"War?" Kuei asked. "What war?"

"Just the one that's been going on for _a hundred years_." Liu answered. "Long Feng has been keeping the war a secret from you for years. Kuei, the city is full of refugees whose homes were all destroyed by the Fire Nation. And you wanna know something else? My dad didn't die in a construction accident like Long Feng said; he was killed in the 600-day siege of Ba Sing Se that took place six years ago."

"That is absolutely preposterous." Long Feng retorted.

"Liu, are you sure about all this?" Kuei inquired.

"Completely," she replied, "you have to listen to Avatar Aang; I've been travelling with him and his friends for the better part of a year. He and the others are trustworthy, and if you don't listen to them it will not end well for anyone. Long Feng has been involved in a conspiracy to control both the city and you."

"Well, Liu, you've always been a trusted friend of mine, but I have yet to see any genuine proof of this alleged war or this conspiracy."

The Gaang all let out disappointed groans.

"But, I suppose this matter is worth looking into."

This was met by half-hearted shrugs.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small apartment in the lower-ring.

"What happened to him?" Manna asked as she pressed a handful of healing water to the afflicted boy's forehead.

"We came back in and he began to feel ill, and then collapsed on the floor." Iroh explained. "Miss Manna, there is something you should know. I believe that the Avatar and his friends are in the city."

"Why would you think that?"

Iroh handed her the flyer that Zuko had found that was asking if anyone had seen Appa.

"I had a feeling that I would run into them eventually." Manna continued. "As the old saying goes, 'all roads lead to Ba Sing Se'. I'll go looking for them soon, but right now we need to focus on your nephew. Maybe it was something he ate, or maybe that girl he went on a date with had a cold or something?"

"I don't think so." Iroh replied shaking his head.

"He has quite a nasty fever. Maybe this will help." She said as she produced a bag of white willow bark chips. "I swear by white willow, it saved my life once." She placed one of the chips in Zuko's mouth. "Chew on this, young man; it will help to break the fever."

Zuko complied, but started to choke on the bitter taste. In response to this, Manna handed him a ladle of clean water, which he gulped down eagerly after he spat out the willow chip. When he finished with the ladle, he snatched the bucket and tried to chug down as much water as he could. When he finished, he tossed the bucket to the side and lay down once again in an attempt to sleep.

"What do you suppose is wrong?" Manna asked Iroh. "I've seen some pretty nasty cases of illness in my time, but nothing like this."

"I do believe his sickness is a spiritual one. His confusion about his recent actions has begun to reveal itself in a physical form."

"What can we do?"

"The only thing we can, help him to fight his illness and hope we are successful."

Manna looked down at the young man who was lying unconscious before her, she had recently grown to care for him, he was no older than her own child and that made her miss Liu even more than she already did. But he also reminded her of someone very special, someone she trusted as a friend for years, and that made her miss her friend as well. She promised herself that she would do all she could to make sure this young man made it through.

* * *

"So this is what a train is like." Kuei stated as all the other passengers stared at him in shock. "I didn't realize it would be this…public."

"So, you've never been outside the upper-ring before?" Katara inquired.

"I've never been outside the _palace_."

"Three guesses who was responsible for _that_." Liu said.

"Now _that's_ the way to travel." Kuei said as he pointed out the window to where Aang was flying on Appa. He then turned back to face the others. "So, may I ask where we're going?"

"Underneath Lake Laogai, your kingliness." Sokka answered. "To the Dai-Li's secret headquarters. You're about to see where all the brainwashing and conspiring took place."

"It was so creepy." Liu added. "They strapped me to a chair and made me look at a weird, green light in an attempt to control my thoughts and memories."

"Speaking of which," Sokka said, "Liu, why didn't you vouch for us the first chance you got?"

"It was too risky, and Long Feng had his Dai-Li agents watching my every move." Liu then smiled and hugged the two Water Tribe siblings. "But I'm so happy that I found you guys again."

"Don't _I_ get a proper greeting?" Toph asked in irritation.

Liu smiled at the Earthbender and gave her a hug as well.

"I didn't mean _that_ kind of greeting, curly-cue."

When they finally reached Lake Laogai, they realized, to their dismay, that Long Feng must have destroyed the headquarters in order to cover his tracks.

"The Dai-Li must have known we were coming and destroyed the evidence." Katara said.

"Hm, that seems awfully convenient." Kuei responded.

"Hey, if anything, this proves the conspiracy exists even more." Sokka stated.

"Long Feng was right; this was a waste of time. If you'll excuse me, I'm going back to the palace."

"The wall." Katara pointed out. "They'll never be able to cover _that_ up in time."

"What about the wall?" Liu inquired.

"You'll see."

Aang then leapt over to the Earth King.

"If you come with us to the outer-wall, we can prove to you that the secret war is real."

"No Earth King has ever been to the outer-wall," Kuei replied, "I don't have any more time for this nonsense."

"Kuei," Liu said with a grin, "if you come with us, this time you can ride on Appa."

* * *

When they came to the wall, they all looked down and saw the drill.

"Ah, so _that's_ what I missed." Liu said.

"What is that?" Kuei asked.

"It's a drill." Sokka answered. "A giant drill made by the Fire Nation to break through your walls."

They landed on the outer-wall, Kuei kept looking down at the drill in disbelief.

"I can't believe I never knew."

"I can explain this, your majesty." Long Feng said as he appeared with two of his agents. "This is nothing more than…a construction project."

"You mean like the 'construction project' that killed my father?" Liu retorted.

"And perhaps you can explain why there's a Fire Nation insignia on your 'construction project'?" Katara continued.

"Well, it's _imported_, of course." Long Feng explained. "You know you can't trust domestic machinery." Kuei did not look convinced. "Surely you don't believe these children instead of your most loyal attendant."

After a brief pause, Kuei came to a decision.

"Dai-Li, arrest Long Feng. I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

The Dai-Li led Long Feng away, despite his protests.

"Looks like Long Feng is _long gone_." Sokka said, causing Liu to chuckle. "Oh, yeah, I've been waiting to use that one."

"Oh, Sokka," Liu said as she hugged him, "I've missed your jokes."

* * *

Later that evening, at the royal palace…

"I want to thank you, young heroes," Kuei said to the five young people. "for opening my eyes. All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools, and that makes me the _king_ fool. We're at _war_, with the Fire Nation."

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, your highness." Sokka explained. "Because we think you can help us _end_ the war."

"We don't have much time." Aang continued. "There's a comet coming _this_ summer, its energy will give the Firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable."

"But there is hope, before the comet comes, we have a window of opportunity, a solar eclipse is coming. The sun will be entirely blocked out by the moon, and the Firebenders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting, Sokka?" Kuei asked.

"That's the day we need to invade the Fire Nation, the Day of Black Sun."

_Wow_, Liu thought, _I really **have** missed out on a lot in the time I've been gone_.

"I don't know," Kuei responded, "that would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se, we'd be completely vulnerable."

"You're _already_ vulnerable." Sokka pointed out. "The Fire Nation won't stop until Ba Sing Se falls. You can either sit back and wait for that to happen, or take the offensive and give yourself a fighting chance."

Kuei took a moment to ponder options.

"Very well, you have my support."

The Gaang all let out ecstatic cheers.

"Your majesty," came a voice, everyone looked over and saw a very stately-looking man approaching, "I apologize for the interruption."

"This is General How." Kuei introduced the man. "He's the leader of the Council of Five, my highest-ranking generals."

"I know you." Liu said. "You fought alongside my father in the 600-day siege."

"Indeed, Princess Liu," General How responded, "your father was one of the greatest men I have ever had the pleasure of meeting." He then returned his attention to the Earth King. "We searched Long Feng's office; I think we've found something that will interest everybody."

They all proceeded to Long Feng's office, where they learned of the secret documents. Liu recognized the letter from Guru Pathik that she had been asked to deliver to Aang, well, at least he got it in the end. Katara and Sokka found out that their father and the other men of the Water Tribe were stationed at Chameleon Bay. Toph got a letter that said it was from her mother and that she wanted to see her. Liu was the only one who didn't seem to have any news until Kuei turned to her.

"Liu, after what you told me about how your father died, I don't think he's been properly honored for his sacrifice in protecting this city. Now, I want to make up for it. I understand that the anniversary of his death and the liberation of Ba Sing Se is in a few days, I would like to give you the honor of planning the memorial celebration."

Liu gasped in amazement and hugged the king in response. Liu and Kuei had spent time together as children, he had always been like a goofy big brother to her and that was why he had been so willing to trust her word. He saw that this meant a lot to her, and he was pleased that he could make amends, in some small way, for the pain she had endured from her loss. However, with Liu being put in charge of planning a memorial ceremony, that meant that someone needed to stay behind and help the Earth King, and Katara volunteered for the job. That night, as the Gaang all got ready for their respective missions, Liu wanted to know everything she had missed out on, and in turn told of her own adventure. Liu had also been reunited with her weapons, which Long Feng had confiscated.

"Weapons," she said as she hugged them, "I've missed you so."

* * *

The following morning, saw the Gaang exchanging farewells.

"A wise person once told me, 'goodbyes are never easy, but it's not forever'." Liu said.

Unnoticed by the others, Aang had turned to Toph.

"Toph, I need to tell you something. I've been wanting to say it for a long time."

"What is it, Twinkle-toes?"

"Toph, I-"

Suddenly, he was cut-off by Sokka, who grabbed him in a friendly head-lock and lightly noogied him.

"Alright, who's ready to get going on our little men-only man trip?"

"Aang and Sokka," Kuei addressed the two boys, "I wish you a good journey. Ba Sing Se owes you its thanks; we look forward to your safe return."

Just then, a guard approached, saying that three Kyoshi Warriors were waiting to meet the Earth King. The Gaang assured the king that the women were allies and very trustworthy. Before they separated, the Gaang met in one last group hug. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Or…so they thought.

**Yes, it is done, for now. I'm sure you all know what happened at the end of that episode: Long Feng plotting, Toph getting kidnapped, and the Kyoshi warriors turning out to be Azula and her cronies. Please review.**


	33. The Guru

Helping Hand

**Hey, sorry it's been a while since my last update, I've been very busy. But, anyway, on with the show, I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Guru

Liu had scarcely stopped to draw a breath as she hurried along with a bundle of documents and plans for the memorial holiday that she was responsible for planning. She'd been tossing and turning at night, trying to think of how she would plan such an important festivity; but each detail she noted with great care as this was a memorial for her father. She knew it was rude of her to have not paid her respects to the Kyoshi Warriors yet, as she was certain that Suki would be with them and the two were such good friends, but she had a lot on her plate at the moment. It didn't help that she had to organize everything by herself, as Katara was busy helping the Earth King with the invasion plans; the closest thing she had to help was consulting with Lu Ten, which was quite awkward as the celebration would also coincide with his death as much as her father's. Liu wasn't sure why, but something had been feeling off lately, like something bad was going to happen soon; she hoped it was just her imagination. But, then again, when had her premonitions been wrong?

Sighing in defeat when she turned her head and saw that the sun had set, she knew she needed some help. Arms filled with so many scrolls and tomes about the events of the siege as well as books about festival-planning and Earth Kingdom memorial traditions that she couldn't even see straight in front of her, she made her way to where she was informed the Kyoshi Warriors were staying. She heard the muffled sounds of conversation within, and managed to balance her load on her arms so that she could free her hand to knock on the door.

"Who's there?" An authoritative voice demanded.

_That's gotta be Suki_ Liu thought to herself.

"Come on, Suki, it's Liu." Liu replied. "I'd recognize your drill-sergeant tone anywhere, now open up."

The door opened with a loud creak. Azula, who was pretending to be the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, stared in surprise at the mountain of papers and such that greeted her.

"Hey, Suki, long time no see. And, still no see it looks like. Sorry, I didn't greet you and the girls when you first showed up, but I've been swamped by planning for this memorial celebration. No doubt Kuei filled you in?"

"Um, yes," Azula replied, trying to make her voice sound as much like the real leader of the Kyoshi Warriors as she could remember, "yes we know all about this little festival." In truth, Azula had no idea what was going on, but was prepared in case she needed to take this visitor hostage.

"Suki, are you okay? Your voice sounds different."

"Well, maybe you've just forgotten what I sound like."

"I only left Kyoshi Island a few months ago. You sure you're okay? You don't have a cold or anything, do you?"

"Uh, yes! Yes, I have a slight cold that is making my voice sound different. But, I'll be fine."

"Oh, that's good. For a minute I thought you sounded like this psychotic Fire Nation princess I ran into a while back, I encountered her in Omashu. Can you believe it? My home has been overrun by Fire Nation jerks, and they even changed the name to New Ozai, how _original_." Liu ended sarcastically. Azula began to realize just who it was she was speaking with, one of the Avatar's friends.

"Yes, that is _quite_ outrageous." Azula replied through gritted teeth at the criticisms that this foolish girl was making.

"Yeah, it is. Anyway, I was wondering if you and the girls could help me with the plans for the celebration; you know, when you have some free time. I really want this festivity to be one to remember, you do remember what we're celebrating, right?"

"Um, actually, we weren't quite filled in on that little detail."

"Not filled in? It's the most important thing! You do know that it's celebrating the anniversary of the end of the 600-day siege of Ba Sing Se, right?"

Azula's eyes widened, this was turning interesting.

"Of course. I can't believe I forgot that."

"And the memorial for my father's heroic death is going to be held as part of the official ceremony. You remember I told you how my father, Prince Anil of Omashu, died fighting with Prince Lu Ten of the Fire Nation, and in turn killed him as well?"

_So_ Azula thought _this girl's father is the cause of Uncle's defeat, and likewise my own father's ascension to the throne._

"Yes, what a tragic loss that was." Azula said with fake sympathy.

"You're telling me. And it's all my fault, if I had just stayed on the battlements like Dad told me, none of this would have happened. But, we can't dwell on the past, but we _can_ honor it. So, you'll help me think of something for the anniversary in a few days?"

"I would be my _pleasure_." Azula said, a sick smile spreading across her features.

"Great, thanks, Suki, you're the best. Oh, and Sokka can't wait to see you when he gets back from visiting his dad and the other Water Tribe warriors, he _really_ missed you." Liu concluded with a double-meaning that made Azula cringe at the thought that the Water Tribe boy was the boyfriend of the girl she was impersonating. "See you later." And with that, she departed.

"You can count on it." Azula muttered as Liu moved out of ear-shot.

* * *

Meanwhile, in an upscale residence in the Upper Ring, three people were getting ready for the grand opening of a new tea-shop. Manna had grown quite accustomed to being around these two men who had once been fighting against all that she believed, though she was a little disturbed by how cheerful Zuko had been acting. It's not that the more upbeat attitude wasn't a pleasant change from his usual glowering and bitterness, and she was thrilled that he had recovered from his illness, but the constant over-happiness was a little…shall we say…creepy. But, she let the matter be, and donned the fancy Earth Kingdom dress she had bought and prepared to assist Iroh in making tea. As she stood behind the counter in the Jasmine Dragon, she overheard the exchange between Iroh and Zuko, smiling when she saw them hug.

"If you two are finished, we have customers waiting for the best tea in the city." She stated with a grin.

"Yes!" Iroh exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Let's make some tea!"

Later that day, a 14-year-old Water Tribe girl walked up to the front of the tea shop. Had she waited even a minute longer after seeing the scarred Fire Nation prince before running away to find who she believed to be the real Kyoshi Warriors, she would have seen a very familiar woman by the name of Manna walk out to deliver some tea.

* * *

It was getting on towards evening, and Liu decided to head back to the apartment that the Gaang had been living in while she was trapped in the palace. Katara hadn't come back yet, and she was starting to get worried. Suki hadn't come to help her with the planning for the memorial celebration, and there was so little time. Liu had been pacing the floor, something just didn't seem right; it was as if the Spirit World was screaming at her that something bad was going to happen. She sighed and sat on the floor in lotus-position, and began to meditate.

"_Liu, welcome back." Lu Ten greeted her._

"_Hey, Lu Ten. Have you gotten the feeling that something is going on and it doesn't seem right?"_

"_Yes, very much so. I'm glad that you've come now; I believe you need to meditate on your chakras, just as Aang is doing."_

_Liu closed her eyes, just as she was doing in the Mortal World, and focused on her Earth Chakra. Earth was in her blood as much as water and air; she had the stubbornness of an Earthbender at times but also the strength. _

"_What is it you fear, Liu?"_

_Images flashed to her mind of past experiences: the thunderstorm when she was five, the time she had laid near-death with a fever, her father being devoured by the fire that would have killed her, being dragged away by the Sandbenders, having to pretend she had been brainwashed. The focus shifted to her personal fears: her loved ones being harmed, not knowing where her mother was, small things like spiders and ventriloquist-dummies and clowns (man did she hate clowns), whether or not Katara was okay, whether or not Aang had unlocked his own chakras._

"_Now, let all yours fears flow away."_

_Breathing a sigh of relief, she let all her fears go._

"_Well done, Liu. Shall we proceed?"_

_She nodded, and focused on her Water Chakra. The cool, purifying quality of water; it lived in her mother's soul and in all those with Water Tribe heritage._

"_What is it you blame yourself for?"_

_Her father's death, if she had only done what he said then he would still be alive, and so would Lu Ten. Another memory surfaced, Yue sacrificing her life to become the Moon Spirit; if only Liu had been stronger, she could have fought what controlled her and saved the young princess._

"_Your father's death and mine ended the siege, if we had not perished then my father would have taken the city and all would be lost. You are not responsible for Yue's death and rebirth as a spirit; it was destined from the beginning that such an event would happen."_

_Liu exhaled, the blame she had placed upon herself slowly faded. She moved on to the Fire Chakra._

"_What are you ashamed of?"_

_Liu's eyes snapped open._

"_Isn't that kinda the same as the last one?"_

"_Focus, Liu, they are different concepts."_

_Liu closed her eyes again and concentrated, what __**was**__ she ashamed of? She had told a few fibs to her mother when she was a child, but had come clean about two seconds later because she hated how lying felt. She had deceived her friends into thinking that Zuko had overpowered her at the North Pole, when she had actually let him knock her out. She had so much power, but refrained from using it all the time to get away from problems, preferring the approach that demanded more effort just because she could. She had left her home when she was a child, caused her family to worry about her safety and well-being, and had hardly made any contact at all until she had returned with the others._

"_Choosing to solve your problems without relying upon your supernatural gifts is not always a bad thing, it allows you the chance to grow as a person and develop your own skills. Your choice to go off on your own was also to help you grow; it made you stronger and more capable of leading the people of Omashu one day."_

_Liu smiled, content that she was able to let go of her mistakes. Then came the Air Chakra, she thought of all the grief in her heart. Her father, her people's exile from their home, the concern for her cousins when they were in the prison for Earthbenders, the loss of her childhood as she had to grow up so quickly._

"_Yes, you have shed many tears for so many and so much, but those you love are always with you, just as I am. You still have people who care about you."_

_She remembered those she loved. She thought of her mother who was still out there somewhere and loved her no matter what. She thought of Aang and her discovery that he was her great-uncle and the joy when he was reunited with his sister, which made her think of her grandparents. She remembered the excitement when she learned that Sokka and Katara's father was her mother's brother, and discovering her Water Tribe family. She remembered the day she first met Lu Ten in that cave and how he had been like a brother to her. She felt all her grief disappear._

"_Well done, well done. Now, on to the Sound Chakra, what lies have you told to yourself?"_

_She had kept her status as a Spirit Well a secret from her friends until it was no longer able to be hidden, she had not told them who she was until her grandfather had made her, and she had kept her Energybending a secret until she needed it to protect her friends._

"_You are Princess Liu-rong of the Na family, Crown Princess of Omashu, an Energybender, and the Spirit Well. You cannot deny these things about yourself, for they are a part of you, just as much as Aang is the Avatar. Just as the protection of balance depends on him, so too does the protection of life and stability of spirits and humans depend on you."_

_Liu breathed in then out; finally, she had accepted who she was. Then came the Light Chakra, dealing with the concept of illusions. This was a simple chakra, she had always felt the connection of things in her life, and now she allowed herself to see how much the spiritual part of her life was as linked to her as her flesh and blood. And then, at last, the final chakra; the Thought Chakra. This was to be the hardest of all, for it required her to lay out all that attached her to the world, and then let all those attachments go._

"_Remember, Liu, detaching yourself does not mean you reject that which is important to you; it simply means that you are able to release yourself from any hold they have on you that would hinder you, but they still remain there to give you strength and hope. They become what you strive for, but not in a selfish way. You can detach yourself from the world, but still be a part of it."_

_Liu felt the warmth of the energy flowing through her, directing all her attention on the light ahead of her; muting all sounds that surrounded her so that she could reach it. As she felt the light engulf her, she began to return to the Mortal World; and as she did, she heard Lu Ten's voice behind her._

"_You did well, Liu, and I will see you again soon."_

The weight of mortal flesh did not feel quite as heavy as it once did. Liu stood, and smoothed out her light green tunic. She looked over at the door at the sound of a click, and saw three familiar faces back early. But, she froze in shock when she saw the worry on their faces.

**I thought it would be necessary for Liu to unlock her own chakras, and she would actually accomplish it, probably because she has a totally awesome spiritual guide. Please review.**


	34. The Crossroads of Destiny

Helping Hand

**I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Crossroads of Destiny

Manna and the two Firebenders walked up to the imperial palace. They had been requested to serve tea to the Earth King, and Iroh still couldn't believe such an ironic thing had happened. Manna had been to the palace several times in the past, as her husband was a distant cousin of the royal family of Ba Sing Se, so she was able to lead the two men to the tea house. Inside the ornate building, the former Fire Nation general poured tea into the gold cups on the table. The three had been waiting for a while, and Manna was starting to become wary as she knew that the Earth King never arrived late if he could help it.

"What's taking so long?" Zuko asked suspiciously.

"Maybe the Earth King overslept?" Iroh suggested.

Just then, a group of Dai-Li agents filed in. Manna had never liked the Dai-Li; she thought they were corrupt and manipulative of the royal family.

"Something's not right." Zuko whispered.

"It's tea time." Came the mocking voice of the Fire Nation princess as she casually strode into the room.

"Azula!" Zuko declared.

"Have you met the Dai-Li? They're Earthbenders, but they have a killer instinct that's _so_ Firebender. I just love it."

"Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname 'the Dragon of the West'?" Iroh inquired as he picked up a cup of tea.

"I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote, Uncle."

"It's more of a demonstration really." Iroh sipped his tea, Zuko knew what was going to happen and pulled Manna out of the way in time for Iroh to blast flame from his mouth at the Dai-Li, in imitation of a dragon breathing fire. Once the Dai-Li were distracted, Iroh blasted a hole in the wall and the three ran for it, narrowly dodging attacks from their pursuers. Once they reached a dead-end, Iroh shot another blast to make a hole in the wall, allowing him and Manna to jump down onto some topiary below; Zuko, however, did not follow them.

"Come on!" Iroh shouted. "You'll be fine!"

"No!" Zuko replied. "I'm tired of running! It's time I faced Azula!"

As Zuko turned back into the building, Iroh and Manna smacked their foreheads in frustration.

"We still need to get out of here." Manna warned him as they got to their feet. "He'll be alright, but we need to get help. Follow me."

Manna had learned the layout of the palace by heart, so she was able to lead her comrade to the secret passageways so they could get out quickly and without being captured.

"Iroh, we need to get help. And luckily, I know just the people to go to."

* * *

"Liu, is Katara alright?" Aang asked nervously.

"Well, I don't know," Liu replied, "I haven't seen her since she met with the Council of Five which was…uh, how long were you guys away?"

Aang was getting worried. "Shouldn't you know how long we were gone?"

"I've been in a meditation trance for a while. But if she hasn't come back in several days…this is not good."

"What about Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors?" Sokka asked.

"I met with them; of course, I had my arms so full of papers and stuff that I couldn't see anything in front of me. And, Suki did sound a little strange, like her voice was different. She said it was just a cold, but…" Liu mentally slapped herself. How could she be so stupid? "Toph, can you sense if there's anyone in the house?"

"There's no one else here." Toph pointed out, using her Earthbending 'sight'.

"Katara _is_ in trouble." Aang stated. "I _knew_ it."

"Oh no." Sokka responded.

"Wait." Toph spoke again. "Someone's at the door." She pointed at the door and a knock sounded. A smile spread across the young Earthbender's face. "Actually, I know who it is. It's two old friends of mine." She opened the door to reveal Iroh and Manna. "Glad to see you're okay."

"We need your help." Iroh said, causing the others to go into shock.

"Liu." Manna greeted her daughter with a small smile.

"Mom?!" Liu ran over and hugged her mother.

"You guys know each other?" Aang asked Toph, and then turned to Manna. "And how do _you_ know him?"

"I met him in the woods once and knocked him down." Toph answered. "Then he gave me tea and some very good advice."

"I helped to heal him after I found him and his nephew in an abandoned town." Manna explained. "He had been badly wounded and I couldn't leave him there to die. I've been travelling with him and his nephew ever since."

"May we come in?" Iroh asked.

After the two adults were shown in, Iroh proceeded to explain the situation regarding Azula's arrival in the city and Zuko's capture. The Gaang realized that Azula must also have Katara.

"Then we'll work together to fight Azula," Aang decided, "and save Katara and Zuko."

"Whoa there." Sokka interrupted. "You lost me at _Zuko_."

"I know how you must feel about my nephew." Iroh said. "But believe me when I tell you there is good inside him."

"Good _inside_ him isn't enough! Why don't you come back when it's _outside _him too, okay?"

"Sokka," Manna said with a cautioning tone, "your sister is in danger, the entire _city_ is in danger, and you're going to let some petty grudge against this boy stop you? I thought your father raised you better than that."

That struck a nerve. Sokka sighed and nodded in defeat.

"We brought someone along who might be able to help us." Iroh stated as he led them all outside to where he had a Dai-Li agent tied up, with the two kanga-dogs standing guard. When the two creatures saw Liu, they abandoned their post and pounced on her, licking her in joy.

"Okay, I missed you guys too." Liu said as she pushed them off her.

Iroh approached his captive and pulled the gag away from his mouth so he could speak.

"Azula and Long Feng are plotting a coup; they're going to overthrow the Earth King." The man said breathlessly.

"My sister!" Sokka demanded. "Where are they keeping Katara?"

"In the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the palace."

Everyone hurried away.

* * *

"Well, what do ya know?" Toph said as she put her hand to the ground. "There _is _an ancient city down there. But it's _deep_." Toph Earthbended the beginning of a tunnel.

"We should split up." Sokka stated. "Aang, Liu, you guys go with Iroh to look for Katara and the angry jerk. No offence."

"None taken." Iroh replied with a slight shrug.

"And I'll go with Toph and Aunt Manna to warn the Earth King about Azula's coup."

Aang continued to Earthbend a tunnel as Iroh and Liu followed. Liu sensed there was something on her friend's mind.

"Aang, are you alright?" She asked. "You haven't been the same since you got back from the guru."

"I'm okay." He responded half-heartedly.

"Aang, come on, we're family. You can tell me anything."

"Young Avatar," Iroh said, "you shouldn't keep something important secret from those who only wish to help. There is clearly something on your mind."

"Well, I met with this guru, who was supposed to help me master the Avatar State and control this great power. But, to do it, I had to let go of someone I love. And I just couldn't."

"Perfection and power are overrated. I think you were very wise to choose happiness and love."

"But, Aang," Liu interjected, "when you were asked to let go of this person you love, did the guru actually say that you had to give them up?"

"Well, no, but he said to let them go. Isn't it the same thing?"

Liu gave the boy a light thwack on the head.

"Ow, what was _that_ for?"

"For being an idiot. Letting go is different from giving up. I know because my Spirit Guide told me when I was meditating on the chakras while you were gone. He said that I could detach myself from the world and still be a part of it; it's like the whole point of the Light Chakra to see through the illusion of separation. You can still have that love and attachment, but you need to allow yourself to be able to make the choice to do what's best."

"Hm, your Spirit Guide had a good point." Iroh said to Liu.

"Yeah, well, Lu Ten is a smart guy."

Iroh stopped, his eyes went wide.

"W-what did you say his name was?"

"Lu Ten, the former prince of the Fire Nation who killed and was killed by my father during the 600-day siege."

"Y-you actually _saw_ him and _spoke_ with him?"

"Yeah, he's been my Spirit Guide for years." A smile crept over her face. "He's been one of my best friends. Always looking after me and helping me along my path. He gives me more than just advice; he gives me friendship and the assurance that I'm not alone."

Iroh felt tears start to come to his eyes.

"What is he like in the Spirit World?"

"He seems happy, and peaceful. He says he misses his father and…" Liu stopped, and turned to the old general and something in her mind clicked. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been not to have realized who it was she was speaking with. "You're him, aren't you? Lu Ten's dad?"

Iroh nodded sadly.

"I'm sorry." Liu continued. "He didn't deserve to die."

"Neither did your father." Iroh responded, remembering that the girl had said she lost her father because of his son. "This war has cost too much of so many people."

"Yes, and that's why it needs to end." Liu turned to the old man again. "You know, I have the ability to bring people with me to the Spirit World, and I could help you see your son again."

"I would like that, very much."

Eventually, the trio arrived at the end of the tunnel when it opened into a large cavern, filled with green and turquoise crystals. They managed to make their way over to where they believed Katara and Zuko were being held, and Aang blasted in the wall with his Earthbending.

"Aang! Liu!" Katara exclaimed as she ran over to hug her friends. It dawned on Liu that Katara had been standing very close to Zuko.

"Katara," Liu said, "we weren't interrupting anything, were we?"

"What?" Katara asked, taken aback as a small blush started to cross her face.

"Oh, nothing." Liu stated as she hugged her friend again. "We were all so worried about you."

"I knew you guys would come."

"Uncle," Zuko said to the old man in confusion, "I don't understand, what are you doing with the Avatar?"

"Saving your backside." Liu snapped. "You _could_ be a little more grateful, Mr. Jerk."

Zuko growled in annoyance and tried to advance on the other 16-year-old, only to be stopped by his uncle.

"Zuko, it's time we talked." Iroh said. He then turned to the three others. "Go help your other friends. We'll catch up with you."

Aang darted ahead, while Katara and Liu followed at a somewhat slower pace. Liu noticed that Katara had turned to look back for a brief moment. A devious smile spread across the older girl's lips.

"So, Katara, what exactly _did_ happen while you two were in there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Katara asserted, but her voice was dripping with denial.

"Guys!" Aang called back. "Aren't we kinda in a hurry?! We can talk about stuff later!"

"Right behind you, Master Air-head!" Liu shouted back as they began to hurry.

* * *

The three were running back through the crystal chamber, trying to make it back to the tunnel so that they could go and help their friends; when suddenly, a blast of blue fire shot right at them. Liu immediately stepped in the way and repelled the attack so that it went straight back towards their opponent, who likewise dodged out of the way. Katara launched at the evil Fire Nation princess with a wave of water from the underground stream that was in the great cavern, Liu sent air slices that she channeled through her sword that she had withdrawn from its sheath on her back. Azula managed to hold off all the attacks that came her way, until the three had her trapped. Then, a blast of fire was shot, and everyone turned to see Zuko standing there. He paused, his arms raised as if he were going to attack Azula himself, when he suddenly shifted his attention and blasted fire at Aang instead.

The battle was long and hard, and it only got worse when the Dai-Li showed up. Liu had been doing fine with repelling Bending attacks that came her way, but what she hadn't been prepared for was the fact that several Dai-Li agents had come armed with ropes. Liu really hated ropes; she really did, as it was impossible for her to get out of them. It seemed hopeless; Liu was tied up, Katara was facing a group of Dai-Li agents all by herself, and Aang was alone against the two Firebenders and a small army of Dai-Li. Aang then turned and created a crystal shield around himself, and sat down to try and finally unlock his chakra. Liu and Katara felt their hopes rise as Aang ascended in blaring light that showed the raw power he possessed. However, their joy was turned to grief when a flash of lightning sent the young Avatar hurtling to the ground, only to be caught by Katara as she rode a wave of water over to catch him. Liu felt tears stream down her face, it couldn't be, Aang was _gone_. Liu slumped in her bonds, no longer trying to fight for her freedom. Liu watched as Katara held the limp form of Aang in her arms as the Dai-Li and the two Firebenders tried to close in once more, when Iroh charged forward to hold them off so that Katara was able to escape with Aang's body. Katara looked over at Liu, who was still bound, unsure of what to do. Liu gave the girl a sad smile, and nodded, granting her silent permission to leave her behind. Katara launched herself and Aang up through the shaft from which poured the waterfall that fed the underground river. Liu was sad that she was once again separated from her friends and family, especially so soon after reuniting with them as well as her mother, but she knew that this wasn't the end, she still had hope that somehow they would all be together again.

* * *

Katara made it to where the others were, ignoring their questions about where Liu was, as they loaded up on Appa and flew away as fast as they could. Katara removed the amulet that held water from the Spirit Oasis, and used it to try and bring Aang back. And, as if by a miracle, he was revived. Manna once more demanded to know where her daughter was, and Katara looked at her sadly.

"They took her."

Manna had, for the longest time, been able to resist giving in to tears; but now, she felt like her whole world was crashing down. It couldn't be true. Liu can't be captured. Kuei looked down at Ba Sing Se as they all flew away.

"The Earth Kingdom…has _fallen_."

**Oh no! Liu's been captured by the Fire Nation! How will she get out of this one? You'll have to wait and see.**


	35. The Awakening

Helping Hand

**Oh no, Liu's been captured. AGAIN! What will happen now? How will the Fire Nation treat her knowing her status as princess of Omashu and an Energybender? How will Manna react to seeing her brother for the first time in years? Oh, and I have one last question. Would it be asking too much of my readers if I decide to pair Sokka with Azula instead of Suki? It's just that Sokkla is a favorite pairing of mine and it doesn't usually get into series rewrites. I have already heard from one of my readers on the subject and was heartily encouraged. I just wanted to know if there are other people who agree. And, once more, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender. And I also don't own the lyrics to 'I've got a Little List' from The Mikado, but I did come up with the rewrite.**

The Awakening

Liu hadn't said anything as she was brought into the throne room of the imperial palace of Ba Sing Se, not as a guest but as a captive. Liu had never been a very hateful person, very subject to her emotions but never hateful, but these people were testing her patience to an unreasonable extent. _'Must not kill, must not kill'_ kept running through her mind. Not many people knew this about Liu, but she had a dark aspect to her personality that sometimes surfaced in her mind even when she was around her friends. It was a darkness that would unwittingly creep inside her and make her subconsciously desire to hurt or insult people for no reason other than for the sake of it; not that she ever acted on these thoughts, in fact they sickened her, a few years earlier she had even been assaulted with a rush of images in her mind of her doing cruel and sadistic things to her friends at school. The images were so horrible that she had to be taken immediately to a psychiatric ward and checked to make sure she didn't hurt herself or others. Her dark thoughts sometimes even tried to threaten her herself, shortly after her father's death she had experienced images that tried to convince her to throw herself under an oncoming carriage as she would be reunited with her father if she did, when those thoughts surfaced she would run away in tears. Liu was amazed that she was even able to function at least semi-normally after having thoughts like those, luckily they had died down a lot lately but they were threatening to resurface after this whole debacle. Liu felt her irritation rise when she saw Azula sitting on the throne that rightfully belonged to Kuei.

Azula smirked evilly at the restrained girl standing before her.

"Customarily, a prisoner of war bows before their conqueror." Azula stated.

"Customarily, a princess shows proper civility towards another princess, even if they don't like each other." Liu sniped, causing Azula to glare.

"Well, you're not really a princess anymore seeing as how the Fire Nation conquered your city."

"Ooh, a city, huh? Come back later when my people agree to renounce me as their princess and decide to accept Fire Nation rule." Liu had long since assured herself that, although Omashu was her people's home, it was the people themselves who made her their princess.

"Well, you-"

"Do you have anything meaningful to ask me or are you just going to keep up this petty banter?"

"Silence!"

"I don't take orders from spoiled Fire Nation princesses."

"I command you to shut up!"

Liu smiled innocently, messing with Azula was almost as much fun as messing with Sokka. Almost. Liu never really considered herself to be diplomatic; she was far too opinionated and headstrong, but she knew how to use circumstances to their advantage and knew how to push buttons and get under people's skin.

"As soon as we get to the Fire Nation," Azula fumed, "I'll have you locked up in a miserable little prison cell."

"Can't be much worse than that hotel room I stayed in at this town called Badger-frog Level."

"I'll have you locked in a room that isn't high enough to stand up and isn't wide enough to sit down."

"Yeah, that's the one."

"And in the daytime it's hot enough to boil water and at night it's below freezing. Now, what do you have to say to that?"

"What _can_ I say? You've made me nostalgic for Badger-frog Level."

Azula let out another irritated huff and ordered Ty-Lee to block Liu's Bending before loading the Airbender onto a ship headed for the Fire Nation.

* * *

The Gaang descended on Appa down to where the fleet of Water Tribe ships was. Sokka and Katara hugged their dad and then helped move the still unconscious Avatar to a safe place below deck. Manna nervously got off the bison and helped Toph and Kuei get down, Boomer and Gio rushed by her and followed after Sokka and Katara to stand watch by Aang. Manna eventually turned and came face-to-face with her brother.

"Hakoda." She greeted solemnly, her voice dead of any emotion.

Hakoda had been waiting for ages to see his twin sister; after Bato had delivered the beaded bracelet months earlier, he was thrilled to know that Manna was still alive and had a family, but he too was unsure how to greet the sibling he hadn't seen in so long.

"Manna." He replied with a polite nod.

The two stood there awkwardly for a moment before some of the other Water Tribe warriors took note of whom it was that had come on board.

"Well, if it isn't little Manna, all grown up?" One of the older warriors greeted.

"We all thought you had died." Another warrior stated.

"Manna, it's good to see you again." Bato greeted, offering his hand for a Water Tribe handshake. Manna smiled as she clasped her old friend's arm in greeting. "I had the pleasure of meeting your daughter Liu. She earned the same ice-dodging mark as you, you should be proud."

"I am, so very proud of her." Manna responded with a hint of sadness at the mention of her only child who was now a prisoner of the Fire Nation. Bato looked at her in confusion for a moment before he realized that something must have happened that they had all not been informed of yet.

Later that evening, as they were all making plans to commandeer a Fire Nation ship to make it their disguise, Manna wandered over to the prow of the ship, Hakoda excused himself and followed.

"Alright, we're going to have to talk about this sooner or later." He sighed.

"I don't know what you mean." Manna replied.

"Come on, Manna, you know you can't fool me. You never could. I'm sorry about what happened to your daughter and I promise you that we will do everything we can to get her back safely."

Manna felt tears start to sting her eyes but she held them back, not wanting to give in to those feelings again.

"Come on, Snowflake," Hakoda teased her using the old nickname, "we've hardly said two words to each other since you set foot on the ship. Just talk already."

"We are not children anymore, Hakoda. You don't have to talk to me like that."

"Still bottling everything inside again? You know that's bad for you, right?"

"Oh, you want me to be more like _you_?" She snapped, letting her anger get the better of her for a moment before catching herself. "Hakoda, I know you're angry with me. So why don't you just go ahead and tell me what you think of me?"

"Is that what this is about?" He quirked an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm mad at you?"

"You seemed pretty ticked of the night I left."

"Well, yeah, you were being a stubborn brat." She shot him a glare and he chuckled. "Okay, okay, I guess you were justified."

"Another thing. I expected you to be angry over my leaving all those years ago because if I had stayed then Kya would still be alive."

Hakoda frowned at that.

"Manna, you don't know that for certain. Even if you _had_ stayed, you probably wouldn't have been powerful enough to stop those Fire Nation soldiers, and they would've just killed you or taken you away for being a Waterbender."

"I guess." Manna sighed as she slumped over the ship's railing in a very undignified manner like she did when she was younger. Hakoda then got a devious smirk on his face and tugged on his sister's braid. "Youch! What in the spirits' names was _that_ for?"

"Don't you remember, Snowflake? That's what I would always do whenever you got into one of your 'moods'."

"I do _not_ get 'moods'."

"Oh yeah? What about that time you were so moody you made the igloo melt?"

"Accident."

"Or that time when Bato and I went ice-fishing and you got cranky because we didn't invite you?"

"Provocation."

"And what about when-"

"Spirits above and below! Do you _ever_ stop talking?"

Hakoda began to chuckle again and, before Manna realized it, she was too. Being twins they had always had a special bond, even though they hardly looked that much alike, neither could ever stay irritated with the other for very long. They both knew perfectly well that once they left their little conversation they would have to go back to being serious-minded adult authority figures, but for right now they enjoyed their little flashback to their childhood days when they could just be brother and sister.

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

"Are we there yet?"

"For the love of Agni! Do you not shut up?! I can't understand how the Avatar put up with someone as irritating as you!" The guard yelled in irritation.

"Actually, I'm a good traveler with my friends and never do the 'are we there yet?' thing. I just wanted to annoy you." Liu retorted.

The guard let out an annoyed grunt and stood up to leave, inadvertently allowing Liu the opportunity to swipe his keys when he wasn't looking.

"Perfect." Liu whispered with a devious smile.

* * *

On board another Fire Nation ship, a young Avatar had just woken up from a coma. As soon as he saw he was on a Fire Nation ship he began to panic and run. When he reached the ship's deck, he tripped, and when he looked up he saw Momo being pet by a man in a Fire Nation uniform.

"Momo?" The lemur came bounding over to his owner.

"Twinkletoes! That's gotta be you!" Aang heard someone exclaim and looked over to see Toph who came running over to hug him.

"Aang, you're awake!" Katara exclaimed.

"Are you sure? I feel like I'm dreaming." He replied.

"Twinkletoes, if you're dreaming then this shouldn't hurt." Toph said as she punched his arm.

"Ow! That hurt."

"Well, you're definitely awake then."

"Aang, good to see ya back with the livin', buddy." Sokka said from behind his helmet.

"Sokka?" Aang then started to get woozy.

"Uh-oh, somebody catch him, he's gonna-" Toph exclaimed quickly as Aang fainted.

After Aang passed out, Manna and Katara helped to set him upright and put a cloak over his shoulders so he wouldn't get a chill.

* * *

Liu had been wandering around the ship and finally made it to the deck. She knew she still couldn't Bend from the chi-blocking, but she wouldn't have tried to escape anyway. Something was telling her that she needed to stay with her captors for the time being. As she tiptoed around, she noticed two figures standing by the railing that she recognized as Zuko and that emo girl Mai. Keeping to the shadows, she was able to overhear their conversation.

"I've got a lot on my mind." Zuko said. "It's been so long. Over three years since I was home. I wonder what's changed. I wonder how _I've _changed."

_Wow_ Liu thought _that's really profound_.

Mai let out a bored yawn.

"I just asked if you were cold I didn't ask for your whole life story." She stated.

"Wow, rude much?" Liu said aloud, inadvertently drawing the attention of the two.

"You!" Zuko declared as he got into a battle stance.

Liu rolled her eyes.

"Calm down. I wasn't going to fight you even if I could. In case you've forgotten my chi is blocked. Oh, but, just so you know, my Energybending is still fully functional so it wouldn't be smart to Firebend at me."

"How did you escape?" Zuko demanded as he lowered his arms.

"That's not your concern. But it's not like I can really go anywhere. I'm a good swimmer but I don't think I could make it to shore without my Bending. I was just bored sitting around in my cell and came out for some fresh air."

"I could call the guards at any moment."

"Yeah sure, but what can they do? Take me back to my cell? That's it. If I were to get hurt or killed, then a lot of Earth Kingdom people are gonna get seriously pissed off."

"Well, why don't you mind your own business?" He snapped, his temper flaring.

"Fine. I'll be back in my cell if anyone needs me."

As Liu walked back towards her cell she looked back at the two Fire Nation teens who had just decided to kiss for whatever reason they had come up with.

"Blech." Liu muttered. "And people think _I'm_ random."

* * *

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang asked. "Why is everyone dressed this way? And why am _I_ the only one who's completely out of it?"

"Aang, take it easy." Manna cautioned him. "You were injured pretty badly. Katara and I managed to treat your wounds as best we could after Katara saved you with that spirit water."

Aang clutched the bandages lightly, a serious expression coming over his face.

"You know, it's really strange seeing you with hair."

"I have _hair_?" Aang ran his hands over his head. "How long was I out?"

"A few weeks." Katara answered.

"Everything okay?" Asked Hakoda who had come over to check on them.

"We're fine, Dad."

"I'm Hakoda," he turned to Aang, offering his hand in greeting, "Katara and Sokka's father."

"He knows who you are. I just called you 'Dad', didn't I?"

"I guess you're right."

"Nice to officially meet you, Chief Hakoda." Aang said as the two shook hands.

"It's an honor to meet _you_."

"Great, great, now you guys have finally met, so would you mind giving us a little privacy?" Katara snapped.

"Of course." Hakoda turned and walked away.

"Are you mad at your dad or something?" Aang asked.

"What? Not at all. Why would you say that?"

Manna was about to point out the fact that Katara had been very rude to her father when Aang shrugged and winced, prompting the need for another healing session.

* * *

Liu was getting bored again. Suddenly, the door to the room opened and in walked a certain princess of the Fire Nation.

"I understand that you escaped from your cell."

"I'm still here, so why should that bother you?"

"You were trying to get away, weren't you? Well, I can tell you right now that any escape attempt is hopeless."

"Don't think I don't know that. I just wanted some fresh air and to annoy your brother."

"You enjoy messing with Zuzu as well?"

"Well, you're both fun to mess with, but yeah. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have stuff I could be doing." Liu had remembered a song from a favorite play of hers that people often rewrote in order to make it funny for the changing audience. Azula departed and a wicked smile crossed Liu's face.

"_Quite often there are people who get on my last nerve,_

_So I've got this little list, I've got this little list,_

_To remind me, when the time comes, that they'll get what they deserve,_

_And so I know they won't be missed, I know they won't be missed._

_There's backstabbing Firebenders, people of that sort,_

_Jerks who abandon friends as soon as they get caught,_

_Traitors to the Earth Kingdom, who I simply can't abide,_

_Who act like they're they good guys when they can't even pick a side._

_And their super-weird authority, some Firebending priss._

_But, you must have got my gist,_

_They'll none of 'em be missed._

_I've got 'em on my list, I've got 'em on my list,_

_And they'll none of 'em be missed, they'll none of 'em be missed._

_There's the never-ending nuisances, like emo girls and jerks,_

_And the little, circus miss, yes I put her on my list._

_The only thing they care about is the glory and the perks,_

_Ya know they never would be missed, they never would be missed,_

_All Firebenders who abuse their gift, extremists of all kinds,_

_And sneaky little cheaters who attack you from behind,_

_And political manipulators who rule another's land,_

_Who limit free expression as it's something they can't stand,_

_And who, after their downfalls, are often very pissed._

_I'm sure they'd not be missed, yes I'm sure they'd not be missed._

_I've got 'em on my list, I've got 'em on my list,_

_So they'll none of 'em be missed, they'll none of 'em be missed._

_There's the morons who give up a girl 'cause she's on the other side,_

_And choose some random to girl to kiss,_

_I know they'd not be missed,_

_And the psycho-chick who'll never rest until the entire world is fried,_

_She never would be missed, so I put her on my list._

_And the evil jerks who are pushing my limits to a very narrow line,_

_Such as Dai-Li agents, Fire Lords, and those whose deaths I wouldn't mind,_

_There's ministers, knife-throwers, circus freaks and such,_

_Their ultimate downfalls I won't mind very much._

_Of course it really doesn't matter if they aren't on my list,_

'_Cause in the end they won't be missed, at least I think they won't be missed._

_So I'll keep them on this list, I'll keep 'em on my list,_

_Until I know they would be missed, 'til I know they would be missed."_

Azula, who had secretly been listening to this little recital, was quite prepared to flambé Liu for the insults towards her in the song, but she chose not to because, even though it was meant to be insulting, she couldn't help but admire the dark humor of it. And if there's one thing Azula liked, it's dark humor.

"Maybe it would be useful to keep her around." Azula muttered to herself.

They reached the Fire Nation the next morning. Iroh had immediately been led away to prison, but Liu was taken to the royal palace. Liu had to wait a couple hours with some guards while Zuko and Azula made their appearance before their people as part of their 'welcome back' party. Unfortunately for Liu, Mai and Ty-Lee were ordered by Azula to wait with her. Liu found Mai incredibly dull, and Ty-Lee was just plain weird, of course Liu liked Ty-Lee infinitely more than Mai but it didn't change the fact that she was still annoyed. Eventually, Azula showed up and said that Liu would be staying in the palace as she was a political prisoner and needed to be kept safe from harm or it could incur the anger of Earth Kingdom rebels. Liu was given a room in the palace, and was guarded at all times in case she tried to escape; her weapons and her glider had been confiscated and put under lock and key, luckily she still had her personal possessions in her bag like her Jennamite rings and dream interpretation book and money.

That night, while everyone was asleep, Liu was meditating. She knew that if Aang was dead she would have felt it as a Spirit Well knows when such things occur.

"_Lu Ten, I need to know where Aang is."_

"_Your energy is tied to all spiritual entities and the Avatar especially. Focus your energy on him and you will know."_

_Liu focused with everything she had and soon a vision came to her mind. Aang was in the middle of a terrible storm and looked like he was going to give up. She channeled her power into allowing herself to astral project her spirit so she could speak to him, and she was not the only one to do that. Avatar Roku had appeared before Aang to reassure him that he hadn't failed; Princess Yue was also there and told him that he could still save the world._

"_Aang."_

"Liu? What…how? Are you…?"

"_I'm still alive, Aang, and I believe that you can still save this world and save me from the Fire Nation. I believe in you, Aang."_

_Liu faded back to the Spirit World._

"_I need to tell the others where he's going. Lu Ten, I need to learn dream-infiltration."_

_The dead Fire Nation prince smiled at her and placed his thumb on her forehead, transferring the knowledge of dream-infiltration to the young Spirit Well now that she was ready for such wisdom. Liu instantly transported herself into the dream of the only person on Team Avatar who was fast asleep. _

"_Sokka, I need your help."_

"_Liu, what…?"_

"_No time. I know where Aang is."_

"_Well, sure, he's asleep in his room."_

"_No, he's not. He ran away and I'm pretty sure Katara will be in here soon enough to wake you up so you can all go and find him. But, I just want to let you know that Aang is in the Fire Nation and will wash up on the shores of the Crescent Island by morning. Good luck."_

"_Wait, Liu, what…?"_

_He didn't get to finish his question as, moments later, Katara was shaking him awake. _

Liu crashed back to reality and found, much to her relief, that no one had come in to disturb her.

**Yep, Liu isn't going to prison because she's a political prisoner and has diplomatic immunity as she is still technically a princess. The reason behind this weird plot twist is because it is necessary for her to be able to interfere with certain events. Liu now knows how to go inside dreams, I wonder how she's going to use that in the future; but, just so you know, Liu doesn't know that the Fire Nation knows about the eclipse and Azula is going to make sure Liu doesn't find out. I am very proud of my rewrite of 'I've got a Little List' as I never thought I could do a song rewrite. Oh, and that town Liu mentions, Badger-frog Level, is a reference to a town in Virginia that I think is interesting because it's named Frog Level, and the hotel joke is something I ripped off from an episode of Hogan's Heroes. Well, thanks for reading, see you all soon.**


	36. The Headband

Helping Hand

**Sorry I haven't updated this in like **_**forever**_**, I kinda got distracted by all my other fics and I apologize for neglecting this one. Once again, I want to know if I should pair Sokka with Azula or Suki. I don't really like Sukka that much and Sokkla is a fav crack-ship of mine. Anyway, in this chapter Liu interferes with Maiko and somehow gets on agreeable terms with Azula, she also pays a visit to a certain someone in prison. I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender.**

The Headband

Liu stealthily crept through the dark hallways of the prison. She knew what she was doing was incredibly risky, but she had to do this. The guards outside the room she had been given at the Fire Nation palace were blissfully unaware of her talent for escaping capture and just assumed that she was fast asleep in bed. Liu had not been treated cruelly by her captors, though they did look down on her and mocked her for being a captive. Liu knew they couldn't hurt her as her people would cause rebellions in retribution. During the few days she had already been in the Fire Nation palace, she had met Fire Lord Ozai and disliked him on any number of levels. Liu, no matter how annoying the taunts she received were, never gave any indication that she knew that Aang was alive in order to intimidate her captors; she had a feeling that revealing such information would likely be harmful to the invasion plan. Finally, Liu arrived outside a certain prison cell and entered.

"General Iroh?" She whispered.

The old man turned to look at her, sadness written on his face. He gave her the faintest hint of a smile as his greeting.

"It is good to see you are unharmed, child." He replied.

"Yes, I wasn't sent to a prison because of my political importance. Are you well, sir?"

"I have been better."

Liu moved forward and knelt in front of the bars of his cell.

"Don't worry, sir, there is still hope. Aang is still alive. Katara healed him."

"That is good news." He responded with half-hearted enthusiasm.

"I am sorry about your nephew." Liu stated, her face falling.

"He has lost his way."

"Maybe I can help him find it again." Liu brightened a little. "Maybe there's still hope for him."

"Such a thing will not be an easy task."

"I like a good challenge every now and then."

"He will fight anything you do to help him. He has always been self-dependent, never seeking the wisdom or consolation of others."

"Well, I'm not that easy to ignore. If I have to bother him night and day I will."

There was a silent pause for a few minutes before Liu continued.

"I can show you your son, as I promised, if you wish."

"I would like that. Very much." Iroh said with a tearful smile.

Liu sat in her lotus-position and took Iroh's hands as they both meditated. In a matter of moments they were both pulled into the Spirit World.

_It was the familiar place by the flowering cherry tree. A young man in a Fire Nation uniform was sitting beneath it and sipping tea while focusing on a Pai Sho board._

"_Lu Ten?" Iroh gasped, his eyes filling with tears._

_Lu Ten looked up at the sound of his name. When he saw who it was that spoke, his own eyes grew damp._

"_Dad." He responded._

_Lu Ten leapt up from his seat and ran to his father who clung tightly to him. Liu watched the happy reunion and wished that she herself could see her father. Liu also found herself missing her mother, and knowing she was still out there gave her hope that she would see her again._

* * *

"I think I see a cave below." Aang stated as the Gaang descended to a nearby island, disguised by their cloud-cover.

"Sh, keep quiet." Sokka demanded in an irate whisper.

Once they had landed, Aang blew away the cloud. Sokka then ducked behind a large rock.

"Great job with the cloud camo." He said. "But next time let's disguise ourselves as the kinda cloud that knows how to keep its mouth shut."

"Yeah, we wouldn't want a bird to hear us chatting up there and turn us in." Toph said sarcastically.

"Hey, we're in enemy territory. Those are _enemy_ birds." As he finished his declaration, one of the said 'enemy birds' hopped onto his head and let out its weird little cry, causing the others to chuckle.

They all proceeded towards the cave, with Sokka jumping in front of them and looking around suspiciously. Manna, who along with the two Kanga-dogs had joined the Gaang for the journey, looked at him in bewilderment.

"Sokka, what in the spirits' names are you doing?" Manna asked.

"Making sure there's no one around but us."

"In case you've forgotten, Sokka, if anyone else was here Toph would be able to sense them."

"Oh. Right." Once they were all inside the cave, Sokka turned to face them. "Well, this is it. This is how we'll be living until the invasion begins. Hiding in cave after cave after cave…after cave…" He trailed off as his head fell forward.

"Sokka, that is absolutely ridiculous." Manna stated as she shook her head. "We don't need to become cave-people."

"Aunt Manna is right; all we need are some new clothes." Katara added.

"Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out." Aang agreed. "If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave."

"Plus, they have _real_ food out there. Does anyone wanna sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" Toph inquired and then struck her fist against the cave wall, causing a bunch of translucent insects to jump out. Momo dove forward and snatched one as did Boomer and Gio. The three animals looked up at their masters.

"Looks like you three got outvoted." Sokka said to the animals. "Let's get some new clothes."

They made their way to a place where a bunch of clothes had been hung out to dry. The only person around was a man who was fast asleep. Aang had been a little uncertain about stealing clothes at first, but he got past it. Manna helped Katara and Toph pick out clothes, Toph needed the assistance in particular due to her lack of ability to see what she was choosing. Toph vehemently protested to wearing a dress, much to Manna's disappointment. Manna herself chose a dress; it was a peach-colored kimono with red flower patterns on it. She felt a little guilty about taking something so nice and left a little satchel of coins on the steps of the building where the clothes were as reparation. After that, they all headed into town to purchase some accessories. Katara bought a red choker necklace as she couldn't wear her mother's necklace for obvious reasons, Toph bought a gold headpiece to replace her usual green one, Sokka got a little hair-tie with a flame on it to tie his hair in a topknot, and Manna purchased a golden fire-lily pin to hold her own hair in a topknot.

"I used to visit my friend Kuzon here a hundred years ago." Aang stated as they were about to move on into the open area of the town's marketplace. "So everyone just follow my lead and stay cool. Or, as they say in the Fire Nation, 'stay flamin'."

As they continued on, Aang used several slang terms from back in the day. The others were just as puzzled by it as the Fire Nation people. Eventually, they got to a place to buy food.

"Oh, we're going to a meat place?" Aang inquired with slight repulsion.

"Come on, Aang, everyone here eats meat, even the _meat_." Sokka pointed out and then gestured towards a hippo-cow that was chowing down on some meat.

"You guys go ahead; I'll just get some lettuce out of the garbage." Aang replied.

"My mother-in-law is the same way." Manna muttered to the others as they headed into the shop. "She won't go _near_ meat."

"Air Nomads." Sokka sighed and shook his head.

"Hey, more for us then." Toph said with a shrug. She actually found it rather endearing that Aang was so sensitive, even if it was a little annoying sometimes.

As they ate their lunch, Manna was a bit off-put by Sokka's eating habits.

"Could you at least _chew_ your food before you swallow it, Sokka?" She asked.

"He's not gonna listen." Katara answered as she rolled her eyes.

"Well, I can understand why he's so enthusiastic. This food is quite delicious. I haven't had authentic Fire Nation food for some time. There is a lady who has served as my handmaiden at the palace in Omashu who is an exile from the Fire Nation, and she would sometimes cook her native cuisine for us."

"Oh, you had a Fire Nation lady working for you?"

"Yes, you two and Aang met her when you first came to Omashu. At the farewell banquet that King Bumi held for you all."

"Oh yeah," Sokka said, "I thought she looked Fire Nation-y."

"Huh, but she was so nice." Katara stated.

"Indeed, but she is a Firebender." Manna pointed out. "Hm, perhaps we should finish up and go find Aang."

"You're right; it's starting to get late."

* * *

They had searched all over but couldn't find Aang. It was nightfall and they were all back at the cave when he finally showed up.

"Where have you been?! We've been worried sick!" Katara and Manna both exclaimed.

"I got invited to play with some kids after school." Aang explained.

"After _what_?!" Sokka shouted as he jumped up.

"I enrolled in a Fire Nation school. And I'm going back tomorrow."

"Enrolled in _what_?!" Sokka then proceeded to fall over backwards in shock.

They finally decided to sit down and talk about Aang's decision.

"Aang, I'm trying to be mature and not immediately shoot down your idea, but it sounds…really terrible." Sokka told him.

"Yeah, we got our outfits, what do you need to go to _school_ for?" Toph inquired.

"Well, knowledge is power." Manna pointed out. "Knowledge always demands increase; it is like fire, which must first be kindled by some external agent, but will afterwards always propagate itself." Everyone turned to look at her in confusion. "Ancient proverb."

"Every minute I'm in that classroom I'm learning new things about the Fire Nation." Aang continued. "I already have a picture of Fire Lord Ozai." He produced the parchment. "And _here's_ one that I made out of noodles." He produced the second one.

"Impressive, I admit, but I still think it's too dangerous." Sokka protested.

"I guess we'll never find out about the secret river then. It goes right to the Fire Lord's palace. We were supposed to learn about it in class tomorrow…"

"Hm, I _am_ a fan of secret rivers." Sokka paused to think for a moment. "Fine, let's stay a few more days."

"Flameo, Hotman!" Aang declared and then ran off to get some sleep.

"Flameo?" Sokka inquired as he looked at his sister and aunt who just shrugged.

* * *

"You did _what_?!" Sokka exclaimed in disbelief.

"It wasn't my fault!" Aang asserted. "I was just speaking the truth! And I didn't start that fight, and I didn't beat up that guy!"

"Aang, I thought you were going to be careful." Katara sighed in frustration.

"Well, I guess it's time to pack up and go." Toph stated with a shrug.

"We can't leave yet." Aang insisted.

"But, Aang, how are you going to bring your 'parents' to that meeting with the principal?" Katara asked.

"I could pretend to be Aang's mother." Manna suggested.

"Great! Problem solved." Aang said nonchalantly.

"Aang, could you at least _try_ to be serious about this?"

* * *

"Thank you for coming, Mrs. …?"

"Fire. Sapphire Fire." Manna said to the headmaster of the school. She hadn't thought to think up a name beforehand and just said the first thing that came to mind. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, Mrs. Fire, your son has been enrolled here for two days and he's already causing problems. He's argued with his history teacher, disrupted music class, and roughed up my star pupil."

"Oh my word." Manna said with a gasp. "That certainly doesn't sound like my Kuzon."

"That's what any mother would say, ma'am. Nonetheless, you're forewarned. If he acts up one more time I'll have him sent to reform school. By which I mean the coal mines. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly. I'll make sure he's straightened out, sir." Manna turned to Aang with an exaggerated look of anger on her face. "Young man, I have never been so disappointed in you in my life! Don't think you're going to get off easy just because your father is away. When we get home you are in for the punishment of a lifetime!"

"That's what I like to hear."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Fire Nation capital, Princess Azula was walking over to where her brother and his girlfriend were watching the sunset.

"Ugh, isn't that the most sickening display you've ever seen?" A voice behind her asked.

"You?" Azula inquired sharply. "How did you get out of the palace?"

"Your security is really bad. Either that or I'm just too clever." Liu replied.

"Hmph. Whatever." Azula growled. "But you are right. Those two over there are absolutely revolting."

"Something must be done."

"You want to see Zuzu miserable too?"

"Call it payback for when he double-crossed me and my friends in Ba Sing Se. And it's not so much _him_ as it is those two _together_ that I find just plain wrong."

"Hm, perhaps that is the one thing where we can call a truce. Of course, I still completely despise you."

"I also am not overly-fond of _you_. But, I suppose we can see past that for the sake of tormenting that idiot brother of yours."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, just watch."

Liu snuck off only to reappear minutes later on the top of the rock that Zuko and Mai were sitting beneath.

"What in Agni's name is she doing?" Azula thought aloud.

Right as Zuko and Mai were about to kiss, Liu raised a bucket up and then overturned it above them, dousing them in ice-cold water.

"Ahahahaha!" Azula cackled as Mai furiously stormed off. Azula then proceeded over to where Zuko sat moping at his failed romantic endeavor.

"Azula!" He fumed when he saw his sister. "I knew you were behind this."

"Actually, for once, I wasn't." Azula then looked up at where Liu was. "That was _priceless_."

"I try." Liu responded as she Airbended herself down from her little precipice.

"The Airbender girl?" Zuko asked in astonishment.

"I have a _name_ you know. It's Princess Liu-rong of the Na family."

"Why are you out here? How did you get away from your guards?" He demanded.

"Your guards are all morons. And I'm out here to get a little retribution for a certain incident in Ba Sing Se, in case you've forgotten. Anyway, I gotta run. See you Fire-jerks later." With that said, Liu zoomed off with Airbender speed.

* * *

"I just hope that having this party is a good idea." Katara stated as they set up for the secret dance party that Aang was throwing for the kids at school.

"Of course it is." Manna assured her. "Besides, I love dancing. When I was about your age, Katara, we used to have these wonderful festivals in the South Pole with parties and dancing."

"We haven't really had much of those in a long time." Katara said sadly.

"You know, your mother was quite the dancer herself."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Why, it was on the festival of the Great Spirit Mother that she and your father first danced together and when he fell head-over-heels for her."

"Aw, that's so sweet. I never knew that."

"Even though your mother was a Nonbender, she had the grace and spirit of a Waterbender that you _clearly_ inherited from her."

Katara smiled thankfully at her aunt.

"I can't believe we're having a dance party." Sokka declared from where he was setting up candles. "It seems so…silly."

"Don't think of it as a dance party," Aang told him, "but as a cultural event celebrating the art of fancy footwork."

"They're coming!" Toph declared. "Everyone stop Bending!"

Aang then went over to usher Appa through the back exit of the cave to keep him out of sight. The party soon started, but all the Fire Nation kids were too scared to dance. Aang, however, took it upon himself to demonstrate. Eventually, all the kids managed to let go of their fears and began to dance. Aang even asked Toph to dance, even though she was reluctant at first, to say the least. All in all, the party was going superbly until the headmaster of the school showed up with some truant officers. Luckily, the kids helped them to escape.

"Wait to go, dancy-pants," Toph said to Aang as they all flew away on Appa, "I think you really _did_ help those kids. You taught them to be free."

"I dunno, it was just a dance party, that's all." Aang said bashfully.

"Well, that was one heck of a dance party."

"Flameo, sir." Sokka said as he clapped slowly. "Flameo."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the royal Fire Nation palace, a certain prince was sneaking out. He was making his way down the corridor, when he suddenly found himself being tripped up.

"Going somewhere?" Asked a voice.

Zuko snapped his head up to look at the perpetrator.

"Who are you? Who's there?" He demanded.

"A night owl-cat." Liu replied as she stepped out of the shadows. "Who else?"

"You have no business wandering around here at night." He snapped.

"Neither do you."

"This is my _home_."

"Is it?" Liu inquired sarcastically. "I thought the home is wherever there is happiness and love. Perhaps my view on that is skewed because I'm just an unenlightened, Earth Kingdom barbarian who hasn't learned the _oh so magnificent_ ways of the Fire Nation." Her expression then became serious. "I know what you're doing, Prince Zuko."

"How could you _possibly_ know _anything_?"

"Listen up, Princey." Liu said as she slung an arm around Zuko's shoulders and steered him back in the direction of his room and began to walk him back in that direction. "I'll break it down for you, plain and simple. 1. You have no right to act like you're smarter than me, I have more life experience than you as I have been travelling the world on my own since I was eleven. 2. I know what you were planning to do because I have the power to see your inner secrets when you sleep. It's a fairly recent power and I'm still practicing with it. And 3. You really don't want to be on thinner ice with me than you already are. I am way more powerful than you, buddy. Any attempt to Firebend at me would be futile thanks to my Energybending powers. That is all I really need to say on this subject. Any questions?"

Zuko just stared at the ginger-haired girl in shock.

"Good, I thought not. So, how about you forget about your little plan, which would be completely pointless anyway, and go to bed. Believe me; I'll know if you try to carry out your plan again, I'm just that good." She turned away when they reached his bedroom door. "Goodnight, Princey."

**Finally done, it took me all day to write this. The 'ancient proverb' that Manna quotes is actually by Samuel Johnson. Look him up if you don't know who he is. Yep, Liu stops Maiko stuff from happening, as well as stops Zuko from doing something almost as stupid like sending an assassin after Aang.**


	37. Author's Note

**Hello, dear readers.**

**I am sorry to say this, but after much thought I have come to realize that my OC for this story is, irrevocably, a Mary-Sue. So it is with a heavy heart that I have decided to cease this story until further notice. I know my usual motto is that I won't start a story that I don't intend to finish; however, I think I need to change my stance on that. However, if I receive enough support for the contrary and have enough demands to continue the story, I will resume writing this. Until I am convinced that I am not wasting my time or the time of my readers, this story is on HIATUS.**

**Sincerely,**

**Redbayly.**


End file.
